Summary

Matar begins this chapter “nineteen years into the fog” of his father’s disappearance, when his hope was inflamed by a call from an ex-prisoner who claimed to have seen Jaballa Matar in 2002 (159). Matar is quick to remind the reader that "it would have been the only time anyone had seen [his] father after 1996, after the massacre" (160). The possible sighting prompted Human Rights Watch to step in, and soon a league of journalists, other human rights groups, and experts in international law published an open letter to the British government demanding intervention on Matar's behalf. His father’s name was mentioned in newspapers and on the radio each week, and yet Matar notes the paradox that “[his] father never felt more distant than during those days when every minute was dedicated to finding him” (162).

The campaign bolstered broad and passionate support, as evident...