Summary

Returning to his main storyline again, Matar recalls having the opportunity while in Benghazi to meet the man who sparked the public campaign for information on his father, the man who claimed to see his father in 2002. Matar immediately showed him a picture of his father, to which the man asked, “this is Jaballa Matar?” (207). He asked the man repeatedly to re-inspect the picture, but to no avail. The sighting that had ignited hope within Matar, launched his campaign, and resulted in the release of his uncles and cousins from prison, turned out to be false.

Matar recalls taking a walk downtown to clear his mind after meeting with the man. He found himself at the Benghazi Courthouse, which “had become a shrine to the fallen” (209). One room in particular served as a memorial to the 1,270 victims of the Abu Salim prison massacre in...