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Book Review
Feb. 12th, 2015 10:12 pmParadise
by Abdulrazak Gurnah
I have long wanted to read this novel, and was finally able to get a hold of it through the magic of inter-library loan. Luckily, it was as satisfying as I'd hoped.
Paradise is set in pre-WWI east Africa, not far from the coast, somewhere around where modern Kenya and Tanzania are. It follows the coming of age of Yusuf, who is sold as a sort of slave or indentured servant to the rich merchant Aziz in order to pay off his father's debts. Yusuf helps run Aziz's store, goes on an ill-fated trading expedition to the interior, and navigates the trials and tribulations of adolescence. Over it all hangs the crowd of encroaching European colonialism.
It is a very lovely read. Gurnah writes in a way that is both highly evocative and descriptive yet almost spare, which gives the whole novel an intimate feel. The narrative structure was almost episodic, like a set of stories someone would tell about their lives. While Yusuf often did not seem like the strongest character, he did have very interesting experiences and ways of dealing with his surroundings and situation.
by Abdulrazak Gurnah
I have long wanted to read this novel, and was finally able to get a hold of it through the magic of inter-library loan. Luckily, it was as satisfying as I'd hoped.
Paradise is set in pre-WWI east Africa, not far from the coast, somewhere around where modern Kenya and Tanzania are. It follows the coming of age of Yusuf, who is sold as a sort of slave or indentured servant to the rich merchant Aziz in order to pay off his father's debts. Yusuf helps run Aziz's store, goes on an ill-fated trading expedition to the interior, and navigates the trials and tribulations of adolescence. Over it all hangs the crowd of encroaching European colonialism.
It is a very lovely read. Gurnah writes in a way that is both highly evocative and descriptive yet almost spare, which gives the whole novel an intimate feel. The narrative structure was almost episodic, like a set of stories someone would tell about their lives. While Yusuf often did not seem like the strongest character, he did have very interesting experiences and ways of dealing with his surroundings and situation.
