In the Country of Men in Around the World

Jan 23, 2022 Ann Helen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: libya, africa

It took me awhile to get into this novel, but in the end I feel like I learned a lot from it, even though I can't say it was that enjoyable to read. It did have a few hard-hitting moments, though.

I think the reason this didn't resonate as much with me as I expected is that we see everything through the eyes of a child. As told by himself as an adult, but still. We're distant from everything that's going on, because he neither understands it, nor sees how serious the situation is for his family. It took me awhile to get into this novel, but in the end I feel like I learned a lot from it, even though I can't say it was that enjoyable to read. It did have a few hard-hitting moments, though.

I think the reason this didn't resonate as much with me as I expected is that we see everything through the eyes of a child. As told by himself as an adult, but still. We're distant from everything that's going on, because he neither understands it, nor sees how serious the situation is for his family. His father is working with a resistance movement in Libya in the late seventies, and is at risk of being caught and executed, and his family is closely watched. Because he doesn't feel the seriousness of this, neither do I. Except for when he steals a book from the pile they are burning, right before the house is about to be searched. I thought: fuck, now they're dead, and really felt my heart beating.

The most interesting parts of this novel is not what is happening to his family, but how their behavior affects this child. His mother was forced to marry his father when she was only fourteen (he was over twenty) and in addition his actions are now putting the family at risk. The mother self medicates and the father is often absent. Funnily enough it's when the mother self medicates that the boy feels closest to her, because she then opens up and tells him about her past and how she felt about having to marry so young and against her will. But he also blames her for his father being away, senses a lot of her lies. It must be so frustrating for her, being put in a position she has no control over, both by her father and now by her husband, struggling to deal and being seen as weak and to blame by her son.

I'm very glad I read this novel. It's an uncomfortable read, and though it wasn't quite what I expected, and I would have liked more lyrical writing and perhaps expected it to be more direct in terms of the horrors this family goes through, I feels like it gave me a good insight into what it can be like to grow up in a somewhat broken family, to not understand the severity of the threat hanging over this family nor the reasons his mother had to be angry at the world, and how strong she actually was who managed to deal with this situation, even though she self-medicated. Living under a brutal dictatorship is probably bad enough if you're doing everything you should, but trying to oppose it leaves your family vulnerable, distances you from friends and family, threatens your life. His father is probably a highly brave man, but I still think his mother has the right to be angry. It's just a horrible situation for everyone involved, and this novel shows how their conflicting emotions are all justified. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2022 Sue Kozlowski rated it really liked it

Shelves: dictators, historical-fiction, 196-countries, z-196-read-libya

I read this book as part of my quest to read a book written by an author from every country in the world. The author of this book grew up in Libya.

I read 2 books written by this author - this first book is a fictional account of a young boy growing up in Libya during Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi's reign of terror from 1977 to 2011. It is a book that is loosely based on the true-life story of the author.
The second book, "The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between", is the true st ...more

Like · see review

Dec 11, 2012 Andrew rated it it was amazing

A brilliant depiction of life in Libya as Gaddafi comes to power. Narrated by a 9 year old it captures his voice wonderfully contrasting his self centered view against the strains on his family as people are arrested. The panic of his mother burning his father's papers as the secret police watch their hous but the child being upset that they are burning his dad's books and ruining his own bucket is one example, and the sinister second voice on phone calls manipulating the child is disturbing, bu ...more

1 like · Like · see review