Hisham Matar

Some books have an assured quality that is a pleasure to inhabit. A Month in Sienna by [a:Hisham Matar|35807|Hisham Matar|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1210621856p2/35807.jpg] is one of these. This is beautifully written, charming wander through Sienna’s streets, paintings, and thoughts by a man of fine intelligence. I’m fortunate to have known Sienna but it is not necessary for the reader to have been there to appreciate this book. Hisham Mater has alerted me to the work of the great fourteenth-century Arab scholar Ibn Khaldûn (the Introduction to history or The Muqaddimah which I will seek out.

I exist mostly on one side of time. Only in rare moments – for example, when I am with those I love or in times of great exuberance or when I am writing and the work is going well – do I feel free from the wish to be anywhere else. (p. 96)

Thank you for lending me this book Toby.… (més)

Growing up in Benghazi, Kahlid is affected by hearing a short story about a man eaten alive by a cat. He enrolls in the University of Edinburgh where he remains friends with Mustafa, also from his home town. When Mustafa convinces him to attend a political protest at the Libyan Embassy in London where violence erupts, Kahlid’s life is forever changed. The two young men can no longer return to either their home country nor to Edinburgh. Thus, Kahlid begins the life of an exile living in London.

He does have the opportunity to meet the author of the short story that had such an impact on him and they become friends. As the Arab Spring dawns and the political situation in Libya escalates, his two friends eventually choose a different path from him, returning to their homeland to be a part of the revolution.

Khalid recounts his history while taking a walk about his adopted city, passing places of significance, including where that protest took place. The novel is based on true events in the tortuous history of Libya (and the protest in London) and the effects of this history on three fictional friends.

Beautifully written and introspective, the novel expresses the pain of living in exile away from family and the countryside one loved as a child, as well as the constant fear experienced by political exiles. It was a bit of a slow read for me as Khalid’s musings do tend to meander and I wanted to reflect on every one of his thoughts and experiences.

Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishing for the arc.… (més)