Getting lost

One night in Paris, the phone rings. Adam learns that his closest childhood friend is dying. He decides to return immediately to his homeland, which he has avoided for twenty-five years. As an exile in France, he has lived a comfortable life as a respected historian – abroad, but safe. Meanwhile, civil war has been raging in his native Lebanon, and the damage it has inflicted on local society quickly catches up with Adam upon his return home.

Each of his school friends chose their own path during those dramatic times; some lived with their eyes closed, while others let themselves be carried away by ideology and have blood on their hands. Do we bear personal responsibility for the state of our country? Is running away better than selling out? And are there things we cannot forgive, even in our best friends?

In his most autobiographical novel to date, a leading contemporary French-language writer takes stock of his own life decisions, reflecting on ideals, compromises, politics and love in a time of war.