? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

The heartbreaking tale of exile in My Friends, by Pulitzer Prizewinner HishamMatarfollows the story of three Libyan men who meet in London and bond over their exile after an incident in front of the Libyan Embassy in 1984 changes their lives altogether.

The narrator, Khaled Abd Al Hady, moves to Edinburgh to pursue his studies in literature at 17. There, he meets a fellow Libyan student, Mustafa Al Tony, who encourages him to attend an anti-Gaddafi protest in front of the Libyan Embassy — but things take a turn when an open firearm injures them both and pushes them to isolate themselves from their families, in fear of government retaliation. The third of their group, Hosam, is a writer whose story was behind the death of a newsreader on BBC Arabic World Service.

The shootings and deaths in the story are historically accurate — making the story more poignant. Many news outlets agree that the book is somewhat Matar’s biography of his move to the UK in 1979 calling it “ a great novel of exile.”

You can get your copy from Amazon.

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