As a boy growing up in Benghazi, Khaled is transfixed one evening by a strange short story broadcast on the radioa tale about a man being devoured by a cat. Its unsettling power, and the mystery of its author, Hosam Zowa, leave an indelible mark on him. That moment sets Khaled on a path that will eventually lead him far from home, to the University of Edinburgh, where he pursues a life shaped by literature and ideas.

In Britain, Khaled finds himself navigating a world of freedoms and contradictions unimaginable in Libya. When he joins a protest against Qaddafis regime in London, the demonstration takes a violent turn. Wounded and suddenly trapped in exile, Khaled must remain in the UKunable to return home or even speak openly with his parents, whose safety could be jeopardized by a single overheard word.

Years later, in a twist of fate, Khaled encounters the elusive Hosam Zowa in a London hotel. The meeting sparks a profound and life-altering friendshipone that becomes his anchor in a life of displacement. But as the Arab Spring erupts and calls for revolution grow louder, Khaled is forced to wrestle with wrenching choices: between safety and solidarity, family and freedom, and the personal and political selves he has tried to reconcile.

National Book Award Finalist. Longlisted for The Booker Prize and The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.