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.

A powerful, impactful and gripping story following the journey of our main character during an excruciating horrible time period in our history. Told in first person it read like a deeply personal journal, which to me added to the heart wrenching meaning of the story.
A young man leaves his family to start a new life and what happens to him is devastating and hauntingly beautiful. His struggles with keeping secrets for the sake of protecting his family and friends was gut wrenching!
For me it was an eye opening emotional story about the tragedy that some of us are going through and so little we know about it.
I struggled with this story, the inner monologue and going back and forth past and present made the pace of the story difficult to follow. It was such an emotional story to go through and what they did to survive with grace and dignity.

Having absolutely loved The Return, I was eager to read Matar's latest novel and it did not disappoint. It is a rare treat to read an exquisitely written literary work that is both captivating in its prose, plot, and character development. There was never a moment where I felt bored, even though the storyline itself progresses at a slow, comfortable pace.

I had no previous knowledge of the shooting at the Libyan embassy in the 1980s in London and was fascinated by learning this new bit of history and the effect it would have had on Libyan ex-pats who were demonstrating against the regime. The trust that Khaled develops in his relationships with his friends is universal to all cultures and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how those friendships flourished and reflected back on my own relationships.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves great literary works and a bit of historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Hisham Matar for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third Hisham Matar I’ve read and I cannot recommend more highly that readers give his books a try. Matar is an amazing writer - the beauty of his language, the deep and connected relationships, and intensity of emotion are so well conveyed in My Friends. The longing and conflicted push and pull that those who leave their countries experience is with them every step of the way, however long ago they may have left their families and friends. The added conflict of taking a stand against a dictator regime in a home country, while living a life miles away from the turmoil is an anguished and tough decision to make. Khaled grows up in Benghazi in Libya, amid the turmoil of political upheaval and gets the opportunity to study in the U.K. Two different and close friendships are formed that will last a lifetime. As these friendships deepen over the years, they also create in Khaled anguish and conflict as he struggles to fight for his home country and make decisions that will impact not only him but his family back home. Historical fiction at its best, this is an intense and engrossing novel that will linger with you for a long time. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was so excited to read this one, but the writing really let it down for me. It felt oddly formal and distanced in a way that made it very hard to feel close to the main character. I think in theory this is the perfect story for me, but the execution was a big obstacle in my enjoyment of the book.

I’m giving up on attempting to make sense of this poorly formatted ARC, which is just giant blocks of text. Since it’s out, I’ll add it to my TBR and look for the finished copy.

My Friends is the first great book of 2024. Mr. Matar is no stranger to success with his Pulitzer Prize winning memoir The Return. My Friends is about you guessed it, friends. The story revloves around Khaled who lives in Benghazi, Libya. He ventures to London and joins a friend for a protest that has a consequence that changes their lives forever. He is not allowed to go back to Libya for the safety of himself and his family who still lives there. There is also a subplot about an author Hosam who published a book and then disappeared from the publishing world but this book changed Khaled's life. . While reading this book I was reminded of the works of Doris Lessing and Iris Murdoch. The book also revolves around how books can influence and actually change your path in life. The book is beautfully written and you learn about Libya, what it's like when you are a stanger in another person's country, and how when you meet your heroes that sometimes they are not who yout think they are. While the desciription of the book may sound heavy the book is an absolute page turner. I never found myself wanting to put the book down. In fact I was gettig upset when I was getting to the end because I knew I would be leaving these incredible characters lives. Please make sure this book is on your tbr ile for Janauary. You won't regret it! Thank you to #randomhouse and #netgalley for the read.

When I started this I was expecting a story of a close friendship between three friends who left Libya to escape the turmoil in Libya and attend a college in Edinburgh. It felt like something different. Khaled leaves home to study English literature after being inspired by a story he heard on the news when he was 14. There he meets Mustafa but I didn't see an enduring and close friendship. There is a demonstration happening in London outside the Libyan embassy and Khaled reluctantly accompanies him and both are injured in a shooting. Now they can't go back to Edinburgh and certainly can't return to Libya. I don't know much about the history of the country and don't feel enlightened now. Khaled is the center of the story and the link with Mustafa and Hosam. Mostly he tried to keep all his friends separate. I don't really like Khaled. He never felt anchored or decisive, wanting to go home but afraid to, moving into a flat at 18 and staying for over 30 years, never committing to any of the women he was with. As far as atmosphere so much of it took place in London with some flashing back to times in Libya or focusing on something that Mustafa and Hosam were doing. There were times I was just plain confused by who was the focus.

I wanted the story to end, thought about giving up but the writing was good and I kept going. Then it ended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a digital copy.

"Then, just before he walked off, he said, "Stay here." meaning, I suppose, that I should not walk with him. But the way he spoke those two words echoed the time when he had returned to Libya and I had refused to accompany him, unwilling or unable to go back home, "Reluctant Khaled." as he and Mustafa took to calling me during the wild passions of those days of the revolution, when my only two Libyan friends turned into men of action.
"Stay here," he said again, and this time it sounded even more like a solicitation of a vow; as though what he was really saying was: promise you will always be here."

I will share a personal take, one that seems quite out of line with the majority of readers of this novel. I consistently felt the narrative voice of the novel was weighed down with so much unnecessary roundaboutness that I had trouble caring, even though I know I should care very much, because of the urgency of these times, and because of the urgency of this author's story. And yet I felt the voice was so hesitant and circumspect that even scenes that should have been riveting hit me more like I was stuck on a long bus ride. I don't need flash-bang action verbs in every sentence. But I do need to feel I'm not being told the same thing eleven times in slightly different ways, where one good declarative sentence would do. It also seems to me that the novel would have been stronger if it had begun at ch. 16, and been half as long.

My friends is a heavy read. The story jumps around the timeline of modern Middle East. This is a story of friendship, loyalty, love, identity. It’s a story about the power of words and their ability to heal. It’s a story of exile and ones relationship to his nation and culture. This is a book that is to be read slowly to absorb what it is about and it may require a few re reads to grasp,

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazingly beautiful and heartbreaking piece of historical fiction that feels like a memoir. This is a story of exile; of the people and places you leave behind and the people you gain, all in the name of survival. This is also the coming-of-age tale of Khaled, a Libyan born man who finds himself studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh. Violence prevents him from returning home and from even being honest with the people around him. Khaled seeks solace in his two friends, the only people he can be honest with, because they are in the same predicament as him. They understand each other in ways that go beyond their personality differences and together form an unlikely family. This book is deep on so many levels and I don’t think there is anything I can say to accurately depict how I truly feel about everything I just read. This book has lingered in my mind and given me insight into a life I will never live and a time before I can remember. If you’re looking to learn a little bit of history and feel connected with complex characters then, this book is perfect for you. I see awards lists for this book.

My Friends, a riveting and thought provoking novel, takes us on an intimate journey with three men from Libya who find themselves in the UK in the early 1980s. The arc of the narrative follows them from university to demonstrations, from London to Paris to Libya, through and beyond the Arab Spring. The novel explores themes of immigration, exile, political assassinations, dictatorship, and, ultimately, the meaning of "home".

As the conversations turn philosophical, we're witness to their struggles and differences, the three friends responding to the events in Libya in varying ways, staying true to character. Matar frames the novel against the backdrop of real-life people and historical events, adding depth to a novel that is already compelling.

This one will stick with me for awhile, and I'll be seeking out Matar's earlier works.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

This book was well written and had some beautiful prose, but although I did enjoy reading sections of this book for the quality of the writing, I also struggled to connect with the characters. I think perhaps there was a bit too much about the history and exploring the consequences of that history rather than rich character development for my preference. Although I am giving this book a 4 star rating (which it fully deserves), it was not a good book-fit for me.

"The trick time plays is to lull us into the belief that everything lasts forever, and although nothing does, we continue, inside our dream." If this line is intriguing to you, you should pick up My Friends. My Friends opens with two friends parting potentially forever. We then flash back to our main character, Khaled, a young boy growing up in Benghazi, hearing a story about a man being eaten alive by a cat. Khaled becomes obsessed with this story and the power of words, leading him to befriend the author and setting his life on a new course. He lands at the University of Edinburgh, a world vastly different from Libya. As the Arab Spring erupts, Khaled finds himself torn in so many directions as the book explores friendship, family, loyalty, and what it means to be exiled. 

Overall, I found this book to be absolutely beautiful. It's filled with the wonders of literature, the beauty and the pain that is friendship, and the power and struggle of living authentically. All of this wrapped under commentary on political exile. With a gripping plot and flawed and oh so real characters, My Friends blew me away. It was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time, and that is my favorite kind of read. A friend is a wonderous thing, and Matar shows us that in every page. 

I have not read Matar's Pulitizer winning memoir, The Return, but I look forward to picking that up soon. Thanks to the publisher for the chance to review this prior to its publication tomorrow!

Khaled leaves Benghazi to study at the University of Edinburgh. But that is just the start of his journey. He attends a protest against Qaddafi, and that singular action determines his life. The life of an exile, his friends, his family are all impacted by that one singular choice. The author paints a realistic portrait of a Libyan exile, and of the war that tears apart his home country.

I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this excellent novel from Netgalley, author Hisham Matar, and publisher Viking. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read My Friends of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend this work to friends and family.
My Friends reads more like a memoir than a novel, the story is fresh, on point, and the experience is excruciatingly painful to comprehend. Exile is not something any of us would want to endure - we know that now more than ever before. Thank you, Hisham for sharing this reality with us. We get too complacent in our little life nooks. The thought of giving up all that we know and love is painful even to just contemplate. Everybody get out there and VOTE!

My Friends is a really interesting book. It follows several men who emigrated from Libya to London. Due to various events, they are not able to go back to Libya for a number of years and form their own community there. Then when they are older, some of them return to Libya during the Arab Spring. The book is slow at times, but in many places, it reads like poetry. If you don't know much about the events in Libya, the book will teach you a lot. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.