The novel begins with the characters in the beautiful city by the sea of Libya in the 70s. Nine-year-old Suleiman’s lives with his father and mother. He is a carefree child doing his painting and playing with the neighborhood children. The troubles are set in motion when his father goes on one of his many business trips and his mother’s illness surfaces. She subjects the innocent child with the clandestine stories of family feuds. The boy’s anxiety over concealing his mothers’ illness is heartrending.Also noteworthy is the kind of bond that has been portrayed between neighbors. Especially when things go wrong with the Suleimans’ fathers revolt against the Guide. The frailties of parents prove overwhelming to the child and he reacts like only a child could in an immature way. What happens next is not only makes for a great read but also opens a window to Libya’s society.
Hisham Matars first novel, In the Country of Men, was published in July 2006. It went on to be short listed for the Man Booker Prize, and was short listed for the Guardian First Book Award 2006. It has won the 2007 Commonwealth First Book Award for Europe and South Asia, the 2007 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, the Italian Premio Vallombrosa Gregor von Rezzori, the Italian Premio Internazionale Flaiano (Sezione Letteratura) and the inaugural Arab American National Museum Book Award. "In the Country of Men" has been translated into 22 languages.
