In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar

I really enjoyed this book. It looked short, but was reasonably dense so it took me a few extra nights to finish. I had seen it on several book lists (I think it was a Booker Prize shortlist) and I was excited when it came up on my library queue.

The book is about a nine-year-old boy growing up in Libya in 1979. His father is rather cold and involved in some sort of secretive political activities. His mother copes (or doesn't) with alcohol. This book follows a few months of time when his father and other family friends are taken by the authorities and he is trying to understand what is going on.

What I most liked about this book was that it told a story from a young boy's point of view without its being a juvenile story. While he is confused about what is happening (though it is clear to the reader), the narrator does not become so childish as to make the book too basic for an adult audience (like in Tomato Girl).