The title of this book is very clinical, but not the book itself, which is subjective, impressionistic, and full of unanswered questions about both the narrator's father and mother. Set in Egypt, England, and Switzerland, the book is in some ways a retrospective coming-of-age story, in which we are as mystified as the narrator about his father's fate. The prose is beautiful. Thank-you, Shauna, for giving me this book. I think I will enjoy Matar's first novel even more. A beautiful book that left me feeling sad and thoughtful. I randomly picked this up in the library, mainly because of its cover, and now I'm grateful I did. The longing and the absence of an important person are written perfectly, it was easy to believe that real people, not only book characters, could feel this way. I only found out about the story of Matar's father after finishing the book, but I wasn't really surprised: something this real, delicate, and beautiful must have had a real life inspiration. I loved the structure of the book: we only got to read a few of Nuri's memories, and at the end our questions were left mostly unanswered. That's life: it doesn't have a story arch, things just happen, and we may never understand why. I think the open ending was the right choice for this book (and I very rarely like any book endings); the last paragraph illustrated both Nuri's feelings and the unbearable situation perfectly. I also loved the fragmented way Nuri only remembered certain details from situations, only heard whispers about secrets without knowing the whole truth. In addition to the disappearance of his father, he didn't know much about his mother's life and death, either.I really liked the fact that before Nuri's father's kidnapping, he and Nuri weren't extremely close, but that after his disappearance he became the most important person in Nuri's life. As for the other characters, I absolutely loved Naima and want to read more about her - the only thing I never understood was why Nuri, who seemed very fond of her as well, stopped calling her. Mona, on the other hand: I disliked her a lot. What kind of a woman flirts with his 14-year-old stepson and finally sleeps with him, thus damaging him tremendously? However, the relationship with Nuri - as twisted as it was - was very interesting. Nuri himself was so clearly broken that I just wanted to hug him and tell him that someday he will be able to live, too. All in all, a beautiful book and a story about how the absence of those we love can affect us a lot stronger than their presence. That idea is seen everywhere in the book: it says the most when it leaves things unsaid. I loved the way the reader was let to interpret most of what happened - this way I could make this story my own.
Do You like book Anatomia Di Una Scomparsa (2011)?
روايه عاديه جداً .. ممله في اغلب احداثها !
—Maddie
روايه ذات احساس عالي و عميق
—megan
I enjoyed this much better than his first book.
—goldymarie
There are so many questions remain unanswered!
—Tammy
