My Friends

Hosam Zowa is one of the novel’s primary characters. He is a writer, an activist, and one of Khaled’s closest friends. He is six years older than Khaled and also grew up in Benghazi, Libya. However, unlike Khaled’s family, Hosam’s family has a more controversial political past.

Khaled first hears about Hosam when the BBC Arabic World Service reporter Mohammed Mustafa Ramadan reads Hosam’s short story, “The Given and the Taken,” on air in 1980. The story is both brief and disturbing and moves Khaled. He becomes an avid follower of Hosam’s work over the years, and shares his father’s obsession with researching Hosam’s personal, artistic, and familial histories. As a young man, Khaled remains attached to Hosam’s writing and feels that Hosam’s book of short stories The Given and the Taken was published at a fortuitous moment—the collection comes out after the shooting in 1984, when Khaled is in the hospital.

Khaled and Hosam become friends when Khaled is visiting Rana in Paris in 1995. They meet by chance at the hotel where Khaled is staying, and this happenstantial event underscores Khaled’s soulish connection with Hosam. Over the months and years following, the characters remain close and even become neighbors in Shepherd’s Bush after Hosam leaves Paris. Hosam’s character is both a mentor and a peer for Khaled.

Hosam is introspective, thoughtful, and articulate, and has a strong influence on Khaled. Khaled is initially surprised to discover that “the way [Hosam] talk[s] [doesn’t] mirror the way he [writes]” (255). In conversation, Hosam’s speech is “given to humor and move[s] […] in a leisurely and tangential manner” (255). By way of contrast, Hosam writes “in short and clipped sentences” (255). The disparities between Hosam’s speaking and writing voices capture the complexity of his character. He is a fixture and guide in Khaled’s life, but he is also mutable.

Mustafa al Touny is a secondary character. He is also one of Khaled’s close friends. Mustafa and Khaled first meet when Khaled begins school in Edinburgh. The characters connect because they’re both readers and enjoy discussing literature. Mustafa is also Libyan, and studied under Khaled’s father when he was in school in Benghazi. Mustafa is also the character who compels Khaled to attend the 1984 embassy demonstration. His character therefore links Khaled to his past, complicating his relationships with his country and the revolution.

Mustafa remains a fixture in Khaled’s life over the years. Their friendship goes through various seasons and often changes according to what they’ve experienced in their time apart. At the same time, because they were both injured in the 1984 demonstration, they share an indelible bond. Even when they disagree, they often express their love for one another and promise to do anything on the other’s behalf.

Mustafa’s character shows the greatest signs of change when he leaves England to participate in the Arab Spring in 2011. He becomes a more radical revolutionary and quickly establishes himself as a leader amongst the revolutionaries. Khaled stays in touch with him throughout this time and often regards Mustafa as an alternate version of himself—the self that could’ve been more proactive and involved.

Rana Lamesse is a secondary character and another of Khaled’s closest friends. Khaled meets and befriends Rana when he first starts school in Edinburgh. They share an immediate understanding and remain close over the years. Rana is the only person other than Mustafa who knows about Khaled’s involvement in the 1984 demonstration and shooting, and she proves herself a loyal and trustworthy friend during this era of Khaled’s life. She lets Khaled stay at her family’s London flat, warning him when he’s in danger, delivering messages and items to him from Edinburgh, and supporting him through his psychological and emotional distress.

Khaled later feels honored when in 1995 Rana asks him to play a similarly supportive role in her life when she’s diagnosed with brain cancer. Rana is therefore another fixture in Khaled’s life who teaches him the importance of friendship, granting him perspective on his identity and circumstances.

Ustah Kamal abd al Hady is a minor character. He is Khaled’s father and referred to primarily as “Kamal” throughout the novel. Kamal has a heart for his country and an investment in Arab history. He works as a schoolteacher to avoid punishment by Qaddafi’s regime for his incendiary opinions. Khaled loves Kamal and greatly admires him throughout his adult life. Kamal is not only an intellectual, but a positive father figure who acts as a guide for Khaled. In spite of Khaled’s affection for Kamal, however, he draws away from him over the years, afraid that his life will endanger Kamal’s.

Professor Henry Walbrook is a minor character. He is one of Khaled’s professors when he’s briefly in school in Edinburgh. Khaled respects and admires Walbrook. Walbrook is intelligent and a good teacher, but he’s also a kind-hearted friend and generous mentor. He becomes particularly important to Khaled in the aftermath of the shooting. Khaled decides to confide in him about the event, and Walbrook lends his support. He shows his care for Khaled by talking to him on the phone, encouraging him to get his own apartment and job, and writing him a recommendation so he can restart school in London. He acts as a pseudo-father figure in Khaled’s life and Khaled comes to see him as an archetypal guide.

Hannah is another of the novel’s minor characters. She and Khaled meet in the months after the shooting. She is the first of Khaled’s lovers whom he feels attached to and confides in. He tells Hannah about the demonstration and shooting and even shows her his scar. Over time, they grow closer.

Hannah is kind, gentle, and understanding. She cares deeply for Khaled, but also grows frustrated when Khaled pulls away from her. Years later, Hannah ends up marrying and starting a family with someone else. This decision is inspired by her impatience with Khaled. She still cares for him years later, which is why she calls him during the Arab Spring and the two rekindle their former connection. Hannah’s character represents the life and relationship Khaled could’ve had if he’d been more engaged and sincere in the past.