By the Sea: By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021

By the Sea is beautiful, a meandering story of remembrance that takes you from Zanzibar to London, through Malaya and Persia, a story of business, love, and revenge.Wandering through Saleh Omar's memories and Latif Mahmud's accusations, Abdulrazak Gurnah reminds you again and again that what you perceive as a child may not always be true. Related tenuously by marriage, the two men's lives have been intertwined by a series of slights and betrayal, each branch of the family grasping for the property and wealth of the deceased as their own family's prosperity rises and falls over time. Behind the scene, pulling the strings, is Hussein, who both entrances and tricks, then disappears home to Persia to let things fall out as they may.Yet it's not Hussein himself who brings about their downfall. It's their pride and greed, hidden behind a veneer of religion and holiness, supported by a belief in their own perception of right.At times, the story seems to drift too far into the past, and you end up on distant shores wondering why Abdulrazak has left you there, but down each branching river, you end up by the same shore, realising that each diverging stream had an effect that ultimately led to Saleh's persecution and need for asylum. And it's by the sea in London, where Saleh tries to build a new life--or at least to let what's left of his life end peacefully--that he has to face the painful past and finally lay it to rest.

As in my previous review for Gurnah's literary works I am a bit biased because he does originate from my country! (I thought I would put that in as a disclaimer of my inherent bias)In this masterpiece Gurnah establishes himself as an amazing storyteller and exquisite author of narrative. There is no dull moment in the book and the stories intertwining are one of his classic characteristics. You want to read on to see why Saleh has sought asylum when his life (from what we are told) has been full of enteprise and comfort. When he does meet a person from his previous life; it seems that both individuals fill in the gaps for each other to piece together the stories of their lives.Gurnah's small town rhetoric is peppered with the effects colonialism has had and how the succession of power and independence failed miserably! Possibly alluding to the perils facing Africa in the modern world today?An excellent piece of writing and a quick read (I read it over three days - mind you I do have a long commute to work!).

A very interesting thread developing the theme of home, displacement and the landscape of memory through a plurality of voices that substitute the classic all-knowing narrator in order to gain a more complex understanding of history and reality.

Arrived as foretold, nice and shiny with a book mark - just as expected.

This is the story of how one man’s greed and duplicity led to rancour, anger and pain for three other men caught in the web of his deceit.The writing is dense, at least to begin with, but quickly becomes more flowing. We discover that the protagonist, an old person as yet unnamed, is a refugee from somewhere warmer, by the sea. He or she is now living somewhere cold and wet, but still near a sea. We learn that he is Mr Shaaban (an assumed name as we discover) as he thinks back to when he went through immigration, and was only allowed into the United Kingdom because he claimed his life was in danger in his own country.We begin to get some back story, such as how he came by the fragrant incense which was taken from him at immigration. He owned a furniture shop and got it in part exchange from a Persian trader who bought a table from him.We get, again, the story of the Europeans who went to other shores for whatever they could get, took over the lands, and the ways in which they treated the original inhabitants. We also see how the Europeans treat the original inhabitants when they, in turn, come to the European shores looking for succour in time of need.Shaaban hears the name Latif Mahmud, whom he knew in his past life.The next section tells us about Latif Mahmud and his life, He contacts the Social workers to find out how “the old man” is doing, and is told his name, which is that of his, Latif’s, father.We learn of his life as a boy, with his older brother Hassan, his father and his mother Asha. At one time a friend of his father, known as “Uncle Hussein”, comes to stay, always downstairs. This was supposed to be for a short while.Shaaban’s real name is Saleh Omar. His connection is that, when he was a furniture dealer, he bought a debt. When the debt fell due to be paid back he took possession of the house and contents previously belonging to Latif’s parents who had put these up as surety for the debt.We see Latif Mahmud winning a scholarship to go to the “so-called” GDR to train as a dentist. While there he manages to get to West Germany and on to the United Kingdom.The two men meet, and talk, trying hard not to quarrel and to put the past behind them. “Bartleby the scrivener” by Melville is mentioned, as he has earlier in the story, and leads to discussion of books. Latif taught the story, and Saleh first read it when he bought books from the colonialists when they were leaving before independence came.There is more, but I won’t discuss it since it would give away too much of the story and the ending. I thought this was a beautifully written book, and well worth a score of 8/10.