The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in BetweenThe Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1990, Hisham Matar's father, Jaballa, a prominent opponent of Libya's dictator Muammar Gaddafi, was kidnapped in Cairo and taken to Abu Salim, a notorious prison in Tripoli. The family never learned what happened to him. In 2012, after Gaddafi's fall, Matar returned to Libya for the first time in more than thirty years to look for answers. This memoir records that journey, his family's history, and two decades of hoping and not knowing.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize for biography and is on the New York Times list of the century's best books. It's a beautifully written book about exile, grief and what it means to keep looking.
You'll love it if you liked
In the Country of Men
My Friends
The Year of Magical ThinkingGood to know
It's short and quiet, and moving rather than suspenseful. Matar's novels, especially In the Country of Men, cover some of the same ground in fiction.
By the numbers
- Readers73 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics91 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller8 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz5 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.
Where it ranks
- #49 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #128 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #254 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Moving
More by Hisham Matar
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Quick answers
Is The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize for biography and is on the New York Times list of the century's best books. It ranks #254 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 82.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between about?
In 1990, Hisham Matar's father, Jaballa, a prominent opponent of Libya's dictator Muammar Gaddafi, was kidnapped in Cairo and taken to Abu Salim, a notorious prison in Tripoli. The family never learned what happened to him. In 2012, after Gaddafi's fall, Matar returned to Libya for the first time in more than thirty years to look for answers. This memoir records that journey, his family's history, and two decades of hoping and not knowing.
How long does it take to read The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between?
About 6 hours (256 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between won?
Pulitzer Prize (Biography) winner (2017).
What should I read after The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between?
If you liked it, try In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar, My Friends by Hisham Matar or The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.