Summary

Hisham Matar begins his introspective journey without the help of an introduction, a dedication, or a preface. Instead, he brings the reader into an empty airport alongside himself, his wife Diana, and his mother. The three were awaiting a plane to Libya, the former home of Matar and his family over thirty years prior, before his father’s involvement in the Libyan resistance forced them to flee. He sets the scene with the anxiety he naturally attaches to his home country by describing some of his most pronounced memories of the conflict. The oppressive regime of Muammar Qaddafi was met with what Matar calls an “armed and determined resistance,” which Matar’s father helped lead. Political dissidents were hanged in public settings, families of dissidents were considered fair game, and Libyan nationals were being executed worldwide.

Though Matar was young during the early days...