Skip to content

By the Sea

By the Sea

A Novel
Historical FictionLiterary Fiction
Published
2023
Language
English

Synopsis

Saleh Omar, an elderly Zanzibari furniture restorer, arrives in England seeking asylum, carrying with him a lifetime of secrets and memories. As he navigates a new country and its customs, his past slowly unfolds, revealing a story of love, loss, and the enduring impact of colonialism. This novel explores the complexities of identity and belonging across cultures and generations.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

MelancholicThought-ProvokingReflective
Fish Out of Water

Genres

Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Politics & Society

About the author

A
Abdulrazak Gurnah

Abdulrazak Gurnah FRSL (born 20 December 1948) is a Tanzanian-born British novelist and academic. He was born in the Sultanate of Zanzibar and moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s as a refugee during the Zanzibar Revolution. His novels include Paradise (1994), which was shortlisted for both the Booker and the Whitbread Prize; Desertion (2005); and By the Sea (2001), which was longlisted for the Booker and shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Gurnah was awarded the 2021 No...