Temporarily out of stock
An intensely moving novel about three friends living in political exile and the emotional homeland that deep friendships can provide – from the Booker-shortlisted, Pulitzer prize-winning author ‘My Friends is a brilliant novel’ Colm Toibin
Khaled and Mustafa meet at university in Edinburgh- two Libyan eighteen-year-olds expecting to return home after their studies. In a moment of recklessness and courage, they travel to London to join a demonstration in front of the Libyan embassy. When government officials open fire on protestors in broad daylight, both friends are wounded, and their lives forever changed.
Over the years that follow, Khaled, Mustafa and their friend Hosam, a writer, are bound together by their shared history. If friendship is a space to inhabit, theirs becomes small and inhospitable when a revolution in Libya forces them to choose between the lives they have created in London and the lives they left behind.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 464
Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication date: 08/04/2025
My Friends
By Hisham Matar
Review by Kazia
Matar’s writing has a way of seeping into your bones and hollowing out a space there. Emotional and poetic without being overly lyrical, there is a simple and meditative quality to the narration that contrasts with the complexity of what is being written. Friendship, grief, exile, love, literature – all are covered with an understated grace. Ever so gradually, this book gently but powerfully absorbs you. I frequently found myself pausing to re-read certain passages, wanting to slow down and soak it in deeply, giving it the sensitive reflection it deserves. Heartfelt, melancholic and hopeful – this is a book that will stay with you.
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