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A review by rieviolet
Il ritorno. Padri, figli e la terra fra di loro by Hisham Matar
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between is a very honest and emotional memoir. I appreciated how the author expertly blended the personal (the history of his family) and the general (the history of Lybia).
I really like Matar's prose and I think there were many passages of reflection that shone out in this memoir (as was the case with his latest novel My Friends). I underlined a lot of sections that were written in a very beautiful and poignant way.
I struggled a bit with the first half of the book; I think it had a slow start and the narration felt somehow disjointed. It was difficult to orient oneself within the timeline, and I'm not sure I was very successful in keeping track of all the different events and family members. I also found the ending a bit abrupt and plain; I think I expected the author to tidy up the story in a more impactful way.
As some other reviewers pointed out, I was a bit disappointed that women were very much relegated in the background. I don't know if it is fair to ask this from a book that only mentions "fathers" and "sons" in its title, but I would have liked a more substantial reference to the role of women in those times of social and political upheaval.
I really like Matar's prose and I think there were many passages of reflection that shone out in this memoir (as was the case with his latest novel My Friends). I underlined a lot of sections that were written in a very beautiful and poignant way.
I struggled a bit with the first half of the book; I think it had a slow start and the narration felt somehow disjointed. It was difficult to orient oneself within the timeline, and I'm not sure I was very successful in keeping track of all the different events and family members. I also found the ending a bit abrupt and plain; I think I expected the author to tidy up the story in a more impactful way.
As some other reviewers pointed out, I was a bit disappointed that women were very much relegated in the background. I don't know if it is fair to ask this from a book that only mentions "fathers" and "sons" in its title, but I would have liked a more substantial reference to the role of women in those times of social and political upheaval.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Racism, Vomit, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Deportation