Book description
**By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021**
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2002
'One scarcely dares breathe while reading it for fear of breaking the enchantment' The Times
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On a late November afternoon Saleh Omar arrives at Gatwick Airport from Zanzibar, a far away island in…
Why read it?
2 authors picked By the Sea as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Given how big an issue forced migration and political refugees are in our contemporary world, this novel is highly educational. While I knew that many people have been forced to flee their countries due to persecution, this semi-autobiographical story gave me new insight. It also gave me new respect for Britain's track record of accepting such immigrants despite the bureaucratic abuse the story entails. The central character is wonderfully complex. And I learned about so many things -- Islam; the history of Zanzibar; historic maritime trade along the east coast of Africa; and political and economic conditions in newly independent…
I was drawn into this novel by the deftness with which Gurnah weaves together a compelling tale of love and betrayal, greed and generosity.
The chief narrator’s arrival on a shore, where he is forced to confront his past, is treated with utmost care. By confronting it with him and in a voice at once gentle and urgent, Gurnah made me see and share in the possibility and power of forgiveness and redemption.
From Benjamin's list on The best novels on the complexities of migration.
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