In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar

In the Country of Men

Hisham Matar

From Libya in 1970s to Egypt and America years later, Suleiman struggles to make sense of his life and his relationship with his parents. There are very obvious parallels with 'The Kite Runner', but 'In the Country of Men' is also recommended for the picture it gives of what it may be like to be a very young Muslim wife, mother of one son, living in a repressive regime.

Extract
I sense he blames me for leaving, for abandoning my parents, but it's a sign of madness, I know, to claim to know what is in another man's heart. I never told him that it was his sister who sent me away, because I knew what he would say, 'But you have many chances since to return,' and he would be right.
Parallels
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
  • Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

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