A review by callanisreading
Gravel Heart by Abdulrazak Gurnah

adventurous challenging reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Every day Salim carries lunch to the small back room where his father lives apart from him, his mother, and his uncle Amir. As he grows, so too does his awareness of the secrets that divide his family and the political tensions threatening Zanzibar; when uncle Amir offers to help him start a new life in the UK, Salim embarks a long journey of self-discovery. Gurnah's meditation on belonging, meaning, and heartbreak explores the home we find in places and people, and the capacity for both to hurt and heal.