Reviews

By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah

tyara02's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 it was fine. Not bad, not extraordinary.

leonorcferreira's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

itsyourgalyazza's review

reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Beautiful ending to a very sad story. While it was beautifully written (although sometimes a bit pompous, even when ironically intended) I can't say I enjoyed reading the 90% of the book prior to the ending. It made me tense and sad, and the

rape of woman and a child

repeatedly being referred to as 'seduction' and 'flirtation' was just hard to stomach as a snowflake millennial. Also, this book does not reflect well on the Brits, the Muslims, and the gays alike.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Torture, War, and Adult/minor relationship

ebutton11's review

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jason461's review

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

shelleyanderson4127's review

challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 

"I know that you never stop wishing to live, or wishing for companionship and purpose." Saleh Omar has lost much. After years of unjust imprisonment, he returns home to find his wife and daughter dead, and all his property confiscated. Omar flees his seaside birth place in a Zanzibar lurching from colonialism to independence, to become a refugee in England. He has even lost his name, as he assumes the name, and passport, of a old enemy when he flees.

Years before the younger son of his enemy has also found asylum in England. They meet in a dreary seaside town in England, wary and lonely, and slowly discover a story of mutual betrayal and love.

I understand why Abdulrazak Gurnah won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2021. This story was so gripping, and so well written. It deals with the petty jealousies, the disappointments and the modest triumphs of ordinary lives with such a deep understanding of the human heart. The story flows effortlessly and explores the poisonous effects of colonialism without ever becoming polemical, or losing sight of the protagonists wants and fears. I am in awe of Gurnah's vision and now want to read everything he has ever written.

 

cricca's review

inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ddrake's review

I just didn't find it interesting; I guess the interaction between the two main characters that interesting.

kitness's review

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Incredibly dull, weakly written book that implies the author is incapable of writing dynamic scenes and relies on pseudo-intellectual language with the majority of the book taking place in flashbacks or a stilted stream of consciousness. The topic of how refugees are treated is interesting, but not here; largely because the majority of the novel is about the drama and tragedies involved with the ownership of a house, a topic that could have been handled in ten pages.

The characters are all unlikable and the two main characters sound exactly alike. The main-est character has been given purposeful flaws and regretful acts, but I wonder whether the author is aware of how needlessly critical and ungrateful he is inwardly about every single person he encounters. It feels unintentional as it’s too subtle for what the narrative skill level led me to expect. Not since Harlan Ellison’s misanthropic and sexist short stories have I felt more disinclined to ever want to meet an author.

pehaa039's review

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75