A review by bookmaddie
Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah

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

3.5

This is a monumental, generational story of family, loss, and generational trauma. And that’s all I’ll say on the plot because it’s SO complex—there is a lot going on. The first 40-50 pages feature so much world building, with historical events and new character names introduced every few pages. It made it quite hard to get into the story, but I did eventually push through.

The rest of the story is very plot heavy, and I enjoyed getting to know a few characters, but I felt like the stories I was interested in were never the ones focused on. I also found the ending to be a bit too perfect, and it felt quite rushed. A story that stretched over 30 years plus was zoomed through another 30 years in only a few pages at the end.. it felt a bit off-balance to me.

I don’t think Gurnah’s work is something I’ll return to, but I could see this being an interesting book to read about in class and dissect with a teacher to guide you. But as a casual reader, this isn’t for me.
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