Memory of Departure

The debut novel by the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in LiteratureVehement comic and shrewd Abdulrazak Gurnahs first novel is an unwavering contemplation of East African coastal lifePoverty and depravity wreak havoc on Hassan Omars family. Amid great hardship he decides to escape. The arrival of independence brings new upheavals as well as the betrayal of the promise of freedom. The new government fearful of an exodus of its most able men discourages young people from travelling abroad and refuses to release examination results. Deprived of a scholarship Hassan travels to Nairobi to stay with a wealthy uncle in the hope that he will release his mothers rightful share of the family inheritance. The collision of past secrets and future hopes the compound of fear and frustration beauty and brutality create a fierce tale of undeniable power.____________________Gurnah is a master storyteller FINANCIAL TIMESExile has given Gurnah a perspective on the balance between things that is astonishing superb OBSERVERA captivating storyteller GUARDIANGurnah etches with biting incisiveness the experiences of immigrants exposed to contempt hostility or patronising indifference on their arrival in Britain SPECTATOR