Sep 26

Sep 26 My Friends

About the book

Author: Hisham Matar
Publisher: Random House

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

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Bookshop.org (print)

My Review

My Friends had been on my TBR for months, so I was especially excited when it was nominated for both the Booker Prize and the National Book Award. I had a ton of friends who had loved it, so it was no surprise that I loved it too.

The book is about a man named Khaled who found himself exiled from his home country of Libya after attending a protest in London against the Gaddafi regime. Decades later, as he walks home from bidding his good friend Hosam goodbye likely forever, he reflects on his life in London and his friendship with both Hosam and a man named Mustafa.

Even though political violence is a central theme, this is a quiet novel full of notably beautiful prose. It’s about friendship, revolution, and the power of art and writing in the face of injustice. I think it’s especially interesting because Matar himself lived in London after being exiled from Gaddafi’s Libya, and while the book isn’t autobiographical, the authenticity of the emotions and experiences is palpable.

There were some portions of this book that felt more engaging than others, but overall it was a gorgeous reading experience and I’m disappointed that it didn’t make the cut for the Booker Prize shortlist!