The Return

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD
WINNER OF THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES' TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2016

Hisham Matar was nineteen when his father was kidnapped and taken to prison in Libya. He would never see him again. Twenty-two years later, the fall of Gaddafi meant he was finally able to return to his homeland.

In this moving memoir, the author takes us on an illuminating journey, both physical and psychological; a journey to find his father and rediscover his country.

The Return is at once a universal and an intensely personal tale. It is an exquisite meditation on how history and politics can bear down on an individual life. And yet Hisham Matar's memoir isn't just about the burden of the past, but the consolation of love, literature and art. It is the story of what it is to be human.

©2016 Hisham Matar (P) 2016 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

The Return is a riveting book about love and hope, but it is also a moving meditation on grief and loss. It draws a memorable portrait of a family in exile and manages also to explore the politics of Libya with subtlety and steely intelligence. It is likely to become a classic.

Colm Tóibín

User Reviews

Book 4.0
Narration 3.0
4.0
3.0
It's an amazing (harrowing) story but the audio version doesn't do it full justice. Sloppy editing, particularly between chapters (chapter numbers don't align with those provided in the app; inconsistent spacing so not always clear when one chapter starts and another ends, etc).
kiwifruitrulz 02/02/2025

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