Anatomy Of A Disappearance. Hisham Matar (2011)

Book Info

Author

Hisham Matar

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Rating

3.38 of 5 Votes: 1

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ISBN

0141027509 (ISBN13: 9780141027500)

Language

English

Publisher

Penguin Books

Shops

Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble

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About book Anatomy Of A Disappearance. Hisham Matar (2011)

Hisham Matar's English prose, infused with a breath of Arabic mien, makes this novel an exceptionally good read. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the truth about Naima was treated too lightly by Nuri. That would've been easier to accept if it didn't contradict Nuri's character. I wasn't convinced that he wouldn't pursue the matter to the end and was able to go on with his life. Naima was dealt with too offhandedly, and because the story is so well woven up to that point, I felt let down. This is an interesting study of relationships that leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Some might consider it a "coming of age " book. We never really know what the father does or what country he is actually representing. Nouri is twelve when the story starts and in his mid-twenties at the end. People come in and leave his world for a variety of reasons. Told in the first person narrative, the main character isn't able to give explanations and I found myself thinking I had missed pages or some of the book was missing.