Hisham Matar: My friends, pub date: January 11, 24, Viking/ Penguin Random House, 9780241409480

Thanks to an early netgalley proof I had the great pleasure to dive into Hisham Matar's upcoming  novel, " My friends". 

 Matar's entire body of work is overshadowed by his father's  tragic disappearence / abduction during Libya's Gaddafi regime. This political situation is also the ground base of  what happens  in "My friends". Khaled and Mustafa, both studying on a grant in the UK, decide to attend a demonstration of exiles in front of the Libyian embassy in London.  The shots fired from the embassy,  hitting Khaled, will forever dominate and change both friends lives and that of Hosam, a writer in exile, Khaled's closest friend. 

Matar is a master at describing the crueling effect and long reach of dictatorships into everyone's life. A powerful, brilliant novel that could not be more timely and a very moving portrait of the deep connection between these three friends and their family.

 Amy Chua: The Golden Gate, Corvus/ Atlantic Press, 978183895948, hardback, Pub Date: September 21, 2023

Set in 1944 Berkeley, mixed race Mexican/American homicide detective Al Sullivan gives this mystery its heart and soul. The novel starts with the assassination of presidential candidate Walter Wilkinson in the posh Claremont hotel.  Sullivan soon realizes that the powerful Bainbridge family is entangled not only in this death but has an unresolved,  mysterious death of one of their heiresses, Iris, who as a child was also found dead at the Claremont. 

The novel is cleverly constructed, many twist and turns, switching between the court testimony of the Bainbridge matriach and Sullivans investigation.  The most likeable characters in the mystery are Ad Sullivan and his half niece whose lives are testament how important  race, gender and social standing were during that time in order to be noticed. Not much has changed...Chua  borrows from actual historical events such as Madame Chiang Kai-Shek mysterious stay in California taking fictional liberties.  Really had a fun  reading  "The Golden Gate",  learning a few historical facts along the way which the author lists in the appendix.