Reviews

Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar

mukoya's review against another edition

4.0

I wish there was more clarity at the end. Good read though.

sarahreadsaverylot's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

4.5

votang's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

amberacks12's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I did not really like this book. But it was so short I decided to finish it anyways. 

It’s written beautifully, but Nuri is not a fun head to hang out in, and it’s not really about his missing father, more about his awkward relationships with the women in his life. 

Enjoyment: 3
Emotional impact 2
Educational value: 2

2.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

kitkat_reads93's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

andbarr_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

hannahleewhite's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad

4.0

kat_withthebooks09's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While the writing in this books is superb, the story itself was weird, especially the relationship between the main character and the new wife. 
Not to mention, I was expecting a bit more of a thriller/mystery but it just turned out to be a story about a boy who seems to just Haye everything in life. 

norassick's review against another edition

3.0

this one’s for my homies with daddy issues i think. love you nuri!

befriendtheshadow's review

4.0

Beautifully written book. The prose is elegant and crisp, and Matar's voice has an understated and quiet power. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. The story is about the disapperance of Kamal, Nuri's father. Matar is able to express the feeling of something being snatched, with no explanation and no resolution. The characters are then left to search for their own resolutions and come to terms with the disappearance. The plot isn't the most thrilling, and most of the action seems to happen in recollections or just outside of the shot, but the emotion is powerful, and best felt in the simple moments of things that should have been done but weren't: a phone call that should be made that wasn't, a feeling that should have been expressed and that instead was suppressed, that's where the power of the story lies. The image of Naima, the servant, telling the young man Nuri that she would wait by the phone every Sunday, just on the off chance that he would call, was a brilliant image. It was further brought home by the following line from Nuri.

I never did call again.