A review by jeep8read
Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah
4.0
I read this for a book club and likely wouldn't have otherwise.
It is a story of Africa around the beginning of World War I when Germany was colonizing the areas around Tanzania. The story follows a pre-teen boy who is traded to satisfy a family debt and of his life in the sphere of his new owner. It is technically his story, but for me he was just a vehicle. What interested me more were the casual mix of Muslim, Christian, and Hindu cultures and languages among the people and how they co-existed while colonization subtly shifted the traditions and practices of their every day life.
It's not a book I would want to read again though I'm happy I have read it.
It is a story of Africa around the beginning of World War I when Germany was colonizing the areas around Tanzania. The story follows a pre-teen boy who is traded to satisfy a family debt and of his life in the sphere of his new owner. It is technically his story, but for me he was just a vehicle. What interested me more were the casual mix of Muslim, Christian, and Hindu cultures and languages among the people and how they co-existed while colonization subtly shifted the traditions and practices of their every day life.
It's not a book I would want to read again though I'm happy I have read it.