A review by cmervenne
Pilgrim's Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah

4.0

I found this book really interesting and quite unlike others I've read, and I enjoyed the author's writing style. You get to know the the main character, a an immigrant from Tanzania named Daud, largely through hypothetical letters he writes in his head in response to things that happen to him. He struggles to exist in 1980's England where he faces both blatant and "benevolent" racism. Throughout the book, you watch him grapple with competing narratives: 1.) "One can find a better life and opportunities in Europe" and 2.) "Europe's legacy of imperialism/colonization in Africa created the conditions forcing Africans to leave in search of a better life in Europe." He's a complexly written character, and the fact that he wasn't particularly likable seemed like an honest and necessary part of the story. Among all of Daud's struggles, how could he possibly be anything other than jaded or (annoyingly) pessimistic? Most of us in his situation would also fail to be a picture of smiling resilience, and I believe that's the point.

This is definitely not a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" narrative, nor is it a "the struggle is the identity" narrative. It reads as a more honest account of how one might grapple with with the circumstances in which Daud (like many immigrants) finds himself, and the impact it can have on one's relationships, identity, and state of mind.