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Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Hisham Matar's IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN.
Anne from Liberty, MO
What authors do you read?
I enjoy Ann Patchett, Rohinton Mistry, Erik Larson, Andrea Levy, Jodi Picoult, Joanne Harris, Jim Fergus and Ian McEwan.
What did you think of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN?
I thought the book was told from the heart of the author. I can't say I enjoyed it because the subject matter was too intense to "enjoy." I felt compassion for the characters, especially his mother.
Would you ever read a future book by Hisham Matar?
Yes, I would. I am the type of reader who finds an author I like and continues to read everything he/she has written.
Gerry from Mount Laurel, NJ
What authors do you read?
I read a wide variety of authors, and enjoy both fiction and nonfiction.
Some recent fiction favorites include Richard Powers (THE ECHO MAKER), Lisa Unger (BEAUTIFUL LIES and SLIVER OF TRUTH), Dave Eggers (WHAT IS THE WHAT), Nelson DeMille (WILD FIRE, PLUM ISLAND and THE LION'S GAME), Cormac McCarthy (THE ROAD), Scott Smith (THE RUINS), and Edward Rutherfurd (SARUM, RUSSKA, LONDON and THE FOREST). Nonfiction writers whose work I've admired and enjoyed include Nicholas Gage, Mary Pipher, Chris Bohjalian (also his fiction), Nora Ephron and Joan Didion.
What did you think of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN?
While interesting, I did not find it compelling --- a 3-star book. While it succeeds in painting a vivid picture of that cruelly repressive regime, as a novel it is less successful. The story narrated by the main character is depressing and slow moving, and the characters' motivations and reactions unclear. The boy is puzzled by his mother's 'illness', his father's mysterious business trips, and the disappearance of a neighbor, later seen hanged on TV. He is torn between wanting to save his mother, and his anger at her and at his father for offenses never made quite clear. He feels guilt over his disloyalty to his friend after the arrest of the boy's father, but seems to delight in cruelty toward a local beggar whom he inexplicably tries to drown, pushing the man's head down into the water as he tries feebly to save himself. Perhaps because he is only a child, he is unable to articulate what he is feeling, and the descriptions of his emotional reactions (crying, running to the roof, throwing things) somehow don't carry the emotional weight they seem to need. There is little resolution in the end as the boy, now a young man, is reunited with his mother after many years in exile.
I find myself comparing IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN to THE KITE RUNNER, perhaps because both are narrated by young boys and take place in somewhat similar circumstances. Hosseini's narrator in THE KITE RUNNER told his story more directly, with more recognizable and intense feeling, and held my interest better.
Would you ever read a future book by Hisham Matar?
Yes, I would. While his novel was not gripping in the sense of entertainment, it was certainly enlightening, providing a glimpse of a culture and a time about which I had limited knowledge prior to reading.
Jerry from Douglassville, TX
What authors do you read?
J. R. R. Tolkien, Jules Verne, Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald and William
Shakespeare.
What did you think of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN?
On a 1-10 scale, I would give it a 6. I did enjoy the story of a 9-year-old boy growing up in Quaddafi's Lybia and the problems of his family from a child's point of view, looking back as an adult. [It was a] very interesting read, but [I struggled a bit through] the first couple of chapters because of the difficulty [I had in] understanding the language references and cultural situations. However, after becoming accustomed to these differences, I was able to allow my mind to become Lybian and Muslim, and identify better with the storyline and situations. Though the story was not one "I couldn't put down," it was a book that caught my interest after about the fourth or fifth chapter, and made me curious as to where the story would take me. To the author, I say, thank you for a small insight into another culture.
Would you ever read a future book by Hisham Matar?
I would definitely consider reading something else from this author.
Julie from Colorado Springs, CO
What authors do you read?
I am currently reading THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY --- the CSUCI book club pick for March. I love Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Grisham for vacation/fun reads. Otherwise I have been reading many Hispanic and Asian authors lately.
What did you think of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN?
It was very good --- not at all what I expected. I couldn't get over how trapped they were.
Would you ever read a future book by Hisham Matar?
Yes.
Robert from Manassas, VA
What authors do you read?
Sidney Sheldon, John Grisham, Stephen Coonts, Nelson DeMille, Jean Auel, ;Pat Conroy, Ken Follett, Tony Hillerman, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Tom Clancy, Barack Obama, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter.
What did you think of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN?
A very good read. The best book with a Libyan since LAY DOWN WITH LIONS.
Would you ever read a future book by Hisham Matar?
Look forward to your next one. Please send me a signed copy.
Sue from Morrow, GA
What did you think of IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN?
I'm sorry to say that IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN didn't hold my attention. There were many similes and metaphors, which I thought were good, and things were happening, but it wasn't clear why they were happening or where the author was taking the story. There wasn't enough to entertain me or to otherwise engage me. The book may be an excellent book for someone else, so I don't want to discourage the author, because I'm an author too. I realize that when a reader is used to reading a certain kind of book, he/she sometimes can't be objective when they are given a different flavor.
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