This is a deeply moving emotional story . It dives into the heartaches of leaving your home for a chance at a better opportunities elsewhere.

A portrait of displacement, a blueprint of friendship beyond everyday acquaintance. Award-winning author Hisham Matar combines tragic real world events with the surprising contrast of remarkably uplifting and inspirational relationships of several young characters living far from their home of Libya in the 1980s and early 90s.
In 1980, the narrator, Khalid was 14 and heard a story from a groundbreaking and controversial author, Hisham Zowa, read over the air of BBC Arabic world service. “The Given and the Taken” and it stuck with him ever after. Read by Mohammed Mustafa Ramadan. The story is about a man slowly being eaten by a cat. Starting with his toes.
Later, as a student living abroad, Khalid is involved in a shooting at the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 that actually happened. A police woman was killed. Narrator is shot in the chest and kept in the hospital under guard while he recovers. At this time, he receives a copy of Hisham Zowas book The Given and the Taken.

Khalid learns that those present at the London protests are denounced as traitors, and fears the reprecussions if he returns to Edinburgh college. Returning home to Libya is definitely out of the question. He is given an opportunity to stay in London to heal. In a series of cryptic calls to his family, he remains uncertain if returning home will endanger the people he loves, so he decides to remain in London, for the next thirty years.

While the novel includes and portrays a number of appalling acts of violence enacted by the Libyan state, the major focus of this novel is the relationships and bonds that Khalid forms with the people around him. The friendships that Khalid makes, based on mutual trust, respect, admiration, and sometimes desperation convey a number of important and profound themes.

Hisham Matar generates a moving and compassionate story, similar to many of the tribulations that the author and close acquaintances have endured in real life.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Random House for allowing me to read and review My Friends on NetGalley.

Published: 01/09/24

Stars: 2.5

Underwhelmed.

Recently I have discovered Literary Fiction is a complicated genre for me. My Friends solidified my findings.

This story is layered from one perspective. My problem: the author expected me to know too much. No explanations were given for thoughts, patterns, or fears. The main character was afraid of every one. And, once again a cultural story where disappointing parents is the root of all evil. The child -- parent relationship has no age cap.

Khaled complicates his own life. Again, as many times in this genre, I didn't connect.

There is a story here: however, I didn't find enough of it. I wish you well with it.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and after seeing so many people rave about the book I had very high expectations. For me, the book was good but not "book of the year" exceptional. It felt long. It was quite character-driven, so if that's not your type of book be aware of that coming into it. What I did like: the self-reflections and personal growth of the protagonist in having to create a new home in the UK unexpectedly and the strong portrayal of male friendship over decades. I learned a lot of things about Libya I previously did not know. What didn't work for me is the distinct last of action for many parts of the book -- which is more a reflection of me as a reader. The writing is beautiful and I can see how this is an exceptional book for some people. Overall, glad I read it though!

A stunning new voice in literary fiction. Highly recommended, but the cover doesn’t seem to best sell the book in my opinion..

Walking home from the train station where he has just bid his good friend farewell, Khaled reminisces on the many twists and turns his life has taken in the last few decades. He recalls the time, back home in Benghazi, when he heard a bizarre short story read aloud on the radio. This might possibly be the moment his life was launched on its current trajectory, first pursuing an education in literature and eventually meeting the author himself. Khaled traces his life across miles, through violence, under dictatorships, and between ties of family and friends.

Author Hisham Matar has beautifully crafted the story of Khaled’s life, blending it with historical context culminating in the uprisings known as the Arab Spring. Relationships, particularly friendships are at the heart of this novel. Matar’s writing feels profound yet uncomplicated, beautiful but supremely real.

I began to lose track of time while reading this book. It would always take me by surprise when I'd raise my head and realize I am not actually in London nor am I Libyan, this is not actually happening to me. The prose is gentle, almost a lull, and builds this story beautifully. Highly recommend to every litfic reader.

My Friends
By Hisham Matar

This is the story of three Libyan young men who are sent from Qaddafi's Libya to the UK for their education. Two of them – Mustafa and Khaled – meet while studying in Edinburgh. Mustafa is the more adventurous of the two, while Khaled is cautious.

In 1984 there was a massive protest rally at the Libyan embassy in London over the Libyan government's treatment of its citizens. Embassy personal opened fire on the protestors, killing a police woman and injuring eleven protestors. In this novel, Mustafa and Khaled were both injured, Khaled the most severely. The third man, Hosam, was a writer critical of the regime. Both Mustafa and Khaled admire his work. It is only years later that we find out that he was also present at that protest.

All three became persona non grata in their homeland and attempted to reconcile themselves to life in the UK. But being expats not by choice eats away at all three in different ways according to their personalities. Being forced to leave all you knew and loved behind can do damage to the soul.

Fast forward to the Arab Spring of 2011. The governments of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya begin to crumble and the three now middle-aged men must decide on their course of action with regard to their homeland.

This is a heart-wrenching book. Due to personal circumstances, I was able to relate to the torments these young men lived with – but I believe anyone with a heart would have to feel moved by tis story.

When Khalid is 14, he and his family listen to a story on the radio of a cat devouring it's owner. I'm not sure what the significance of this story was, but Khalid remembered it throughout his life.
A few years later, he leaves Libya for the UK where he attends the University of Edinburgh and develops a friendship with Mustafa. The two are pulled into a protest against the Qaddafi regime at the Libyan Embassy in London where they are critically shot and hospitalized. After discharge, the two part ways, although they are not permitted to return to the University. Eventually, they become involved in the Libyan civil war.
This is the story of relationships within the background of political events. The writing is beautifully descriptive, although at times overdone. The author hones in on the agony and internal struggles of the friendship. in the men as they mature.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

A deeply moving and thought-provoking read that stays with you long after you've turned the last page.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

My Friends is poetic, emotional, and just absolutely stunning. It portrays so well the heartache of leaving home for better opportunities. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this eARC.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Thank you for the opportunity to read a review copy. Unfortunately, the story wasn't a good fit for me. I had trouble following the plot and characters and decided to DNF at 20%. Reading other reviews, I am clearly an outlier, so this must be a case of "it's not you, it's me."

A powerful novel with themes of exile, friendship, politics and the place of literature in politics. As a teenager in Libya, Khaled hears a story on a radio broadcast from London. He cannot forget the story and hopes to someday meet the author. In 1983 Khaled travels to Edinburgh to begin studying literature at university. There he meets Mustafa, another teenage student from Libya. Mustafa convinces him to travel to London and attend a protest at the Libyan Embassy. Shots are fired from within the Embassy and both young men are wounded and young female police officer is killed. This actually occurred in April 1984. While in hospital, a book of stories is published in Arabic by the mysterious young author that Khaled has hoped to meet. After they recover, The young men must go into hiding and remain in exile. The boys slowly rebuild their lives. Khaled becomes a teacher.. when a close friend is ill and Khaled travels to Paris to be with her, he realizes that the man at the reception desk in the hotel is Hosam, the author, also hiding and in exile. Hosam moves to London where the three young men maintain a close friendship. As Arab Spring takes hold in Egypt, Tunisia and then Libya, there lives change once again.

With beautiful poignant prose the author weaves a stunning tale of longing, loss and life in exile. I was totally captivated by this novel. I've never read anything from the perspective of a North African man from Libya before and this was so eye opening for me. The reflective nature of the story was like talking with a best friend sitting by the fire after a great meal. Part historical fiction and part fictional memoir this one will grab hold of you and not let go until the final sentence. I can't recommend this one highly enough.

This is not a book I would have picked up even two or three years ago. But my worldview has broadened deeply and with it, my desire to read more books set outside my own little world. This book was fantastic. It is part history book and part cultural education but mostly it is a book about how the horrors of war, especially under a dictator like Qaddafi, can change one not even directly involved for a lifetime.

Hisham Matar is a masterful writer. His prose is stunning in its lyricism and strident in its power to describe small but important moments. I absolutely loved the dissection of three points of view on exile and as an immigrant myself who never went back to the country she was born, I most identified with Khaled. The one missing piece for me is that I never got a clear picture of the thesis of the whole thing. Other than documenting the plight of three different men I didn’t get the unifying point. Nevertheless I enjoyed the journey even if I was a touch dissatisfied with the ending.

4,5

There is something melancholic in Hisham Matar's meditative writing that touches me deeply. In part it's his calming voice - I really recommend the audiobook read by the author. It makes me accept sentences I would normally dismiss as saccharine or overly dramatic.

But mostly this is a beautiful novel about a naive and sensitive young Libyan student who ends up an exile in London due to an unfortunate turn of events related to the real life shooting spree at the Libyan embassy in 1984.

So far I had only read Matar's non-fiction and I was curious to see if he could evoke the same deep sense of loss and compassion in a novel. The answer is yes.

It is not cheerful, but very highly recommended if you are in need of something absorbing and heartfelt read.

First, thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I must say that this was slow going for me at first. I just wasn't grabbed by the initial chapters, but Matar's absolutely gorgeous prose kept me reading. I'd let the book sit for a day or two sometimes longer, but kept returning to it until and a third of the way, so give this book some time! You'll see what I mean if you read it. A major life-changing event happens and everything begins to fall together to make the book more engaging. At least for me.

I do recall the Arab Spring that is the time period for the latter part of the book, but I don't remember ever hearing about the horrific events at the Libyan Embassy in London that form/tranform/totally change the narrator's life. The cover makes perfect sense--he is completely shattered. I'm not one for book summaries--you can read them in other reviews. I appreciated the glimpse into another culture--in Libya and in London as well. Matar write with such sensitivity and insight in creating these characters that their concerns, fears, joys became mine as well.

I think I've set a new record for highlighting passages in my book, but as it was an uncorrected copy, I'll not share them. Just know that there are jewels of wisdom and insight into the human condition, friendships, family, patriotism, loyalty, and so much more.

Like one of the other reviewers, the second I finished the book, I turned back to the beginning and understood why the author chose to present his story in this way.