In the Country of MenIn the Country of Men
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1979 Libya, under Gaddafi's dictatorship, nine-year-old Suleiman watches his world fall apart. His father is secretly part of the resistance, his mother drinks to cope, and a neighbor is arrested. As Gaddafi's terror closes in, the boy tries to understand the adults around him, and makes choices that betray them.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Booker and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It's a powerful debut.
You'll love it if you liked
The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between
The Kite Runner
My FriendsGood to know
It depicts torture and executions.
By the numbers
- Readers7 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics49 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it doesn't have enough readers yet for us to rank it alongside the Must-Read 50 pool. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark, Moving
More by Hisham Matar
My FriendsThe Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in BetweenIf you like this, read next
Americanah
My Brilliant Friend
Olive Kitteridge
American Pastoral
Underworld
PossessionExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is In the Country of Men worth reading?
It was a finalist for the Booker and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Its Must-Read Score is 56.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is In the Country of Men about?
In 1979 Libya, under Gaddafi's dictatorship, nine-year-old Suleiman watches his world fall apart. His father is secretly part of the resistance, his mother drinks to cope, and a neighbor is arrested. As Gaddafi's terror closes in, the boy tries to understand the adults around him, and makes choices that betray them.
How long does it take to read In the Country of Men?
About 6 hours (246 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after In the Country of Men?
If you liked it, try The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini or My Friends by Hisham Matar.