disappearance

"Absence" is a very sweet and deep novel by writer Hisham Matar, who is known for his ability to evoke silent feelings, and summon buried sensations with the fewest and most impactful words. As writer Ahdaf Soueif said: "Hisham knows how to stir emotions and hidden depths; he creates his effect, whether on the page or in our nervous system, with the fewest and most meaningful words. I was captivated." The novel revolves around Nouri, the boy who lost his mother at a young age, and lived with his father in an apartment in Zamalek neighborhood in Cairo, until Mona entered his life — a woman his father loved and married, despite Nouri's objection and refusal to attend the wedding. Mona moved into their house, becoming part of the tense daily routine. Nouri was filled with anger, and his relationship with his father began to crack... until the father suddenly disappeared, without any warning. Through the exciting journey of searching for the secret of the disappearance, Nouri and Mona begin to discover hidden facets of the father's personality, stories that were not told, and secrets hidden in the details of daily life. With his smooth and precise style, Hisham Matar raises a profound existential question: how do we continue life when those we love disappear? It is not just a novel about absence, but about what absence reveals of feelings, and what questions it raises about identity, connection, love, and loss.