Fiction

Paradise

Paradise

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  • Create Date：2021-10-10 07:52:27
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Abdulrazak Gurnah
  • ISBN：1565841638
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Summary

Paradise is at once the story of an African boy's coming of age， a tragic love story， and a tale of the corruption of traditional African patterns by European colonialism。 It presents a major African voice to American readers - a voice that prompted Peter Tinniswood to write in the London Times， reviewing Gurnah's previous novel， "Mr。 Gurnah is a very fine writer。 I am certain he will become a great one。" Paradise is Abdulrazak Gurnah's great novel。 At twelve， Yusuf， the protagonist of this twentieth-century odyssey， is sold by his father in repayment of a debt。 From the simple life of rural Africa， Yusuf is thrown into the complexities of precolonial urban East Africa - a fascinating world in which Muslim black Africans， Christian missionaries， and Indians from the subcontinent coexist in a fragile， subtle social hierarchy。 Through the eyes of Yusuf， Gurnah depicts communities at war， trading safaris gone awry， and the universal trials of adolescence。 Then， just as Yusuf begins to comprehend the choices required of him， he and everyone around him must adjust to the new reality of European colonialism。 The result is a page-turning saga that covers the same territory as the novels of Isak Dinesen and William Boyd， but does so from a perspective never before available on that seldom-chronicled part of the world。

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Reviews

Amirsadrasheikholelslami ，

alii

Kim ，

I read this in 2009 before I'd joined goodreads。 I gave it 3 stars。 It is a bookcrossing book and I vaguely remember it。 I journaled - An interesting story about a boy growing up in slavery in an East African country。I think this is a very good book to share and I'm interested in what others think of it。The book was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1994。This book is the 50th I've registered on Bookcrossing。com。In Jan 2010 I gave it to a dear friend to enjoy， but I can't for the life of me re I read this in 2009 before I'd joined goodreads。 I gave it 3 stars。 It is a bookcrossing book and I vaguely remember it。 I journaled - An interesting story about a boy growing up in slavery in an East African country。I think this is a very good book to share and I'm interested in what others think of it。The book was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1994。This book is the 50th I've registered on Bookcrossing。com。In Jan 2010 I gave it to a dear friend to enjoy， but I can't for the life of me remember who that was， lol。 The author won the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature today。 https://www。bookcrossing。com/journal/。。。 。。。more

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer ，

The fourth novel by the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize。 From the Nobel Citation Gurnah’s fourth novel， Paradise （1994）， his breakthrough as a writer， evolved from a research trip to East Africa around 1990。 The novel has obvious reference to Joseph Conrad in its portrayal of the innocent young hero Yusuf’s journey to the heart of darkness。 But it is also a coming of age account and a sad love story in which different worlds and belief systems collide。 We are given a retelling of the Quran’s st The fourth novel by the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize。 From the Nobel Citation Gurnah’s fourth novel， Paradise （1994）， his breakthrough as a writer， evolved from a research trip to East Africa around 1990。 The novel has obvious reference to Joseph Conrad in its portrayal of the innocent young hero Yusuf’s journey to the heart of darkness。 But it is also a coming of age account and a sad love story in which different worlds and belief systems collide。 We are given a retelling of the Quran’s story of Joseph， against the background of a violent and detailed description of the colonisation of East Africa in the late 19th century。 In a reversal of the Quran story’s optimistic ending， where Joseph is rewarded for the strength of his faith， Gurnah’s Yusuf feels forced to abandon Amina， the woman he loves， to join the German army he had previously despised。 It is characteristic of Gurnah to frustrate the reader’s expectations of a happy ending， or an ending conforming to genre。 The novel was shorlisted for the Booker Prize in 1994 ---------------------------------------------From my own review from 2005Story set in East Africa – apparently set in what becomes Tanzania just before First World War （although this was not obvious to me until I researched reviews of the book）。 Story concerns Yusuf – who as a young boy is asked to go to live with his uncle – but who realises he has been in fact sold to a merchant and trader “Uncle Aziz” to pay off his father’s debts。 Story starts and end with Yusuf helping another person in a similar predicament – Khalil – in the store near the home of the merchant and his mysterious wife “the mistress”。 Much of the book is taken up with the story of Yusuf’s travels with Aziz – first to stay with one of his junior partners and then to accompany Aziz and his fiery overseers on a dangerous trip inland。 End of the book is back at the shop – the mistress – who suffers from some kind of facial blemish – is convinced that Yusuf has magical powers that can save her – possibly even by sleeping with her。 To Khalil’s horror Yusuf becomes more and more reckless in indulging her fantasies – principally so he can see the mistress’s maid – Khalil’s sister Amina。 Over time he learns Amina’s story – she is in fact adopted by Khalil’s father after he rescues her from slavers but only so in turn he can repay some debts by selling her as a child bride to Aziz。 Khalil is in fact free but abandoned by his family keeps in servitude so as to guard his sister but also because he no longer has the courage or will to do anything else。 As things get more complex Yusuf too realises his cowardice is too great for him and the book ends with him running after some German soldiers who were press ganging villagers to be their porters。Book paints evocative picture of an Africa society on the verge of change – a mainly Muslim area ruled by superstition and mysticism and riven by strange tribes， as the Europeans gradually exert their power on the continent and the land turns increasingly violent and corrupt。 Like the previous book I read by Gurnah （"From the Sea"） though I found it hard to really care for characters or to understand their society or thoughts。 。。。more

Chema Caballero ，

Fantástico， me ha encantado。 La forma de contar la historia， la historia， los datos históricos… Tradiciones， viajes， los alemanes， la corrupción de las costumbres con la llegada de estos， el inicio de la primera Guerra Mundial… Un buen cóctel llevado con mucha maestría y con giros inesperados。 Toca de lado el tema de la homosexualidad en un África tradicional， curioso。 Muy recomendable。

Archana Patel ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Expected this book to be about yusuf and his journey of growth， however it turned out to be about trading and the travels taken for this to happen before the colonial era set in。

Montserrat Muntada ，

Novel。la fàcil de llegir i amb prou acció。 Reuneix alguns mites africans， com si l'autor els hagués volgut fer sortir tots al llibre。 Un nen és separat de la seva família pels deutes del seu pare que no podent abonar-los， lliure el fill al seu oncle， un important mercader。 El nen ha de tenir cura de la botiga de l'oncle amb un altre noi que hi va arribar en circumstàncies semblants。 Fins que gairebé com un honor， és cridat pel seu oncle per formar part d'una caravana que mercadejarà amb les trib Novel。la fàcil de llegir i amb prou acció。 Reuneix alguns mites africans， com si l'autor els hagués volgut fer sortir tots al llibre。 Un nen és separat de la seva família pels deutes del seu pare que no podent abonar-los， lliure el fill al seu oncle， un important mercader。 El nen ha de tenir cura de la botiga de l'oncle amb un altre noi que hi va arribar en circumstàncies semblants。 Fins que gairebé com un honor， és cridat pel seu oncle per formar part d'una caravana que mercadejarà amb les tribus més remotes de l'interior de Tanzània。 En aquest viatge hi anirem trobant un mosaic de personatges， alguns ben acollidors i d'altres ben dèspotes， amb alguns s'hi podrà fer negocis i amb d'altres tindran sort si surten amb vida。 Quan després del viatge torna a la rutina de la tenda， no podrà deixar d'anar al misteriós jardí on hi ha l'estranya muller del seu oncle i l'encisadora segona muller， germana del seu company de botiga i l'amor s'encetarà en aquell paradís sense correspondència aparent。 Un relat carregat de simbolisme i emocions una mica ingènues。 。。。more

RD Chiriboga Moncayo ，

I learned a lot about the history and culture of Tanzania from this fine coming-of -age story of a conformist。

Ahtziri Gonzalez ，

This historical novel follows the story of Yusuf， a boy living in a small village in German Tanganyika who is sold to a wealthy merchant to become his servant。 The book follows his journey from East to Central Africa in a trading caravan as WWI breaks out。There is so much to be analysed about Yusuf's growing up in 'paradise'， including the power relations between the many different ethnic and social groups coexisting in colonial East Africa， the pillaging of the continent''s natural resources， t This historical novel follows the story of Yusuf， a boy living in a small village in German Tanganyika who is sold to a wealthy merchant to become his servant。 The book follows his journey from East to Central Africa in a trading caravan as WWI breaks out。There is so much to be analysed about Yusuf's growing up in 'paradise'， including the power relations between the many different ethnic and social groups coexisting in colonial East Africa， the pillaging of the continent''s natural resources， the marginal role of women in society， and new forms of slavery。A must-read for fans of African history。 。。。more

Sally ，

Young Yusuf is sent away （in settlement， it turns out， for his father's debt） to live with wealthy "Uncle Aziz"。 As a junior hand in his store and， later， accompanying him and a group of traders on a long expedition， with all the adventures that entails。 But this is the （early 20th century？？） and the dangers they face from hostile tribes feel less than the encroaching Germans， seeking to colomize the area。When he returns to his master's home， Yusuf finds himself in a Joseph-Potiphar's wife type Young Yusuf is sent away （in settlement， it turns out， for his father's debt） to live with wealthy "Uncle Aziz"。 As a junior hand in his store and， later， accompanying him and a group of traders on a long expedition， with all the adventures that entails。 But this is the （early 20th century？？） and the dangers they face from hostile tribes feel less than the encroaching Germans， seeking to colomize the area。When he returns to his master's home， Yusuf finds himself in a Joseph-Potiphar's wife type scenario as Uncle Aziz's disfigured and unstable wife seeks to lure him into her home。。。Gives a picture of long-ago Tanganyika; wasntt hugely enthused but it's readable。 （ 。。。more

G J PARKER ，

Gurnah makes the foreign place and time entirely accessible。 It is a very human story told in a measured way that makes its strangeness familiar。 It leaves you wondering what became of Yusuf。。。。

Nicky Shellens ，

Interesting exploration of pre-colonial Tanzania / Kenya。 The misogyny was more than a bit bothersome - not least because I wasn't totally convinced that it was an intentional literary device - but other than that， an interesting and rewarding （and occasional violent and horrible） read。 Interesting exploration of pre-colonial Tanzania / Kenya。 The misogyny was more than a bit bothersome - not least because I wasn't totally convinced that it was an intentional literary device - but other than that， an interesting and rewarding （and occasional violent and horrible） read。 。。。more

Dylan Groves ，

Came to appreciate the way the colonialism works as a plot device in his books， less as a driving force of the story and more as a blunt interruption of complicated and beautiful stories in the middle of unfolding。

Jerry Pogan ，

A great， somewhat adventurous， story of a young boy named Yusuf who is put into servitude to his "Uncle Aziz" by his father to pay off his debts。 He is put under the care of Khalil， a young man also put into servitude to pay off a debt， to learn the business of his uncle。 Once he has grown to be a young man Yusuf accompanies his uncle on a very adventurous trading mission that is filled with hardship and danger。 It is a beautifully told story set in the period leading up to World War I that talk A great， somewhat adventurous， story of a young boy named Yusuf who is put into servitude to his "Uncle Aziz" by his father to pay off his debts。 He is put under the care of Khalil， a young man also put into servitude to pay off a debt， to learn the business of his uncle。 Once he has grown to be a young man Yusuf accompanies his uncle on a very adventurous trading mission that is filled with hardship and danger。 It is a beautifully told story set in the period leading up to World War I that talks of the Muslim African culture and a little about European intrusion。 。。。more

Humairah Jamil ，

Paradise is a coming of age story of a boy， Yusuf， who was sold off to a merchant to pay off his father’s debt。 I was slowly taken on a journey through the poetic landscapes of East Africa， as he was unknowingly taken into the world of trade and met strange characters on the road。 I get a sense that Yusuf went through an identity crisis amidst the discomforting changes， against the backdrop of WWI where we see colonialism at its dawn。 I was really quite intrigued by the parallels with the story Paradise is a coming of age story of a boy， Yusuf， who was sold off to a merchant to pay off his father’s debt。 I was slowly taken on a journey through the poetic landscapes of East Africa， as he was unknowingly taken into the world of trade and met strange characters on the road。 I get a sense that Yusuf went through an identity crisis amidst the discomforting changes， against the backdrop of WWI where we see colonialism at its dawn。 I was really quite intrigued by the parallels with the story of Prophet Yusuf in the Qur’an （the name， the dream interpretation， the abandonment， the handsomeness， the seduction， and right down to the details of the torn shirt from the back！） which I had hoped wasn’t too similar （I’d wanted a bit more originality， in a way）。This is my first read from Abdulrazak Gurnah。 I picked it up after seeing Leila Aboulela reading one of his books （I mean。。。 gotta take notes from what a great author’s reading）。 The author writes mostly of displacement and migration， and his characters primarily face a sense of conflicting identity， which is characteristic of Leila Aboulela’s works too。 It was interesting， to me， having never read much literature from Africa before。 But I had wished the plot hadn’t moved at such a glacial pace because it took me longer than expected to complete reading it。 。。。more

Boris Maksimovic ，

Razni ljudi imaju razne manije， a moj drug Goran i ja smo manijakalno zainteresovani za afričku istoriju i književnost， posebno onu koja se tiče dvadesetog vijeka i de/kolonizacije。 Goran mi povremeno preporuči ili pokloni neku knjigu koju otkrije na Gudridsu ili iskopa na Limundu， a nekad i ja uspijem da pročitam te zaboravljene bisere。 Tako je bilo i sa ovom knjigom。 Abdulrazak Gurnah je pisac sa Zanzibara， a "Paradise" je njegov roman koji je 1994。 bio u najužem izboru za Bukera。 Kad bih mora Razni ljudi imaju razne manije， a moj drug Goran i ja smo manijakalno zainteresovani za afričku istoriju i književnost， posebno onu koja se tiče dvadesetog vijeka i de/kolonizacije。 Goran mi povremeno preporuči ili pokloni neku knjigu koju otkrije na Gudridsu ili iskopa na Limundu， a nekad i ja uspijem da pročitam te zaboravljene bisere。 Tako je bilo i sa ovom knjigom。 Abdulrazak Gurnah je pisac sa Zanzibara， a "Paradise" je njegov roman koji je 1994。 bio u najužem izboru za Bukera。 Kad bih morao jednom riječju da opišem ovaj roman i njegov stil uopšte ta riječ bila bi bez sumnje – andrićevski。 On je toliko andrićevski da sam ja ubijeđen da je ovaj čovjek nekada u životu morao čitati Andrića i da mu se veoma dopao。 Prije svega zbog stila romana koji većim dijelom svoga toka protiče uz obale Indijskog okeana ili kroz divlju i nepredvidljivu unutrašnjost onoga što tek treba da postane Tanzanija。 A onda， tu je i pozicija malog čovjeka – ovdje i u bukvalnom smislu te riječi， jer ipak je ovo nešto kao bildungsroman – čija sudbina je obilježena tektonskim istorijskim i geopolitičkim promjenama。 Ovo je Tanzanija koju napuštaju Nijemci， a zaposijedaju Englezi， koji oružjem i oruđem ukidaju ili samo smanjuju moć lokalnih poglavica da bi uspostavili sebe kao jedine koji imaju monopol na upotrebu sile。 Ali sve je to uglavnom negdje u daljini。 Ono što vidimo to je dječak Jusuf， kojeg otac zbog nemogućnosti da vrati dug daje njegovom ujaku Azizu， koji će od tog trenutka postati centralna figura u dječakovom životu。 Odrastanje， sudari carstava， preplitanje raznih vjerskih tradicija na istom prostoru， nedozvoljena ljubav u turbulentnom vremenu – sve su to razlozi zbog kojih me je ovo podsjetilo na Andrića。 Ali ima tu još dosta toga， samo što ja nemam više ni vremena ni prostora pa ću reći da je ovo jedan divan roman koji možete pročitati ako vas sve ovo zanima i ako imate vremena， ali da nije nešto što će vas nužno oduševiti。 No dobro， ne može baš svaki roman da nas okrene naopačke， niti treba。 Ima nešto i u mirnim rijekama。 。。。more

Kiprop Kimutai ，

I read Abdulrazak for his language， his complex tales and how he explores the histories of the East African coast。 The story is so well-paced and introduces an assortment of characters that I grew to love and care for。 The dynamic between Yusuf and Khalil is most memorable and is well-resolved。 And the ending is a big surprise！

Colin Davison ，

The setting is German East Africa on the eve of the First World War， as the boy Yusuf – taken from his parents to settle a debt – journeys into the interior with merchant ‘uncle’ Aziz。It’s a black man’s Heart of Darkness， through tribal lands of many languages， ethnic groups and general cruelty， making Yusuf feel like ‘a soft-fleshed animal which had left its shell。’But these rivalries are subsumed by submission and humiliation in the face of the new colonialism， and each of the native character The setting is German East Africa on the eve of the First World War， as the boy Yusuf – taken from his parents to settle a debt – journeys into the interior with merchant ‘uncle’ Aziz。It’s a black man’s Heart of Darkness， through tribal lands of many languages， ethnic groups and general cruelty， making Yusuf feel like ‘a soft-fleshed animal which had left its shell。’But these rivalries are subsumed by submission and humiliation in the face of the new colonialism， and each of the native characters is defined by their attitude to the Europeans， regarded by some as super-human:-t‘There’s nothing we can learn which will stop them 。。 We’ll lose everything， including the way we live’-t‘Let’s leave it all in God’s hands’-t‘Learn how to cope with them’-t‘They will have fucked us up every hole in our bodies。。 We’ll be worse than the shit they’ll make us eat。’Yusuf himself concludes ‘‘They’ve raised us to be timid and obedient， to honour them even as they misuse us。’ He has in mind his own indentured situation， but he could be speaking for a continent。 As for the other comments directly relating to the white newcomers， it is notable that when the first German military column departs at end of the book all they leave behind is literally shit， which hungry dogs guard jealously。 And as the column disappears， Yusuf runs after it， presumably to join its ranks。Most of the action takes place in what is today Tanzania， and in Yusuf’s expeditions through Congo and Kenya we see African on the brink of change， a strange and often frightening place defined by the local myths told at each settlement。The book opens promisingly as the sun makes trees ‘tremble in the air and 。。 houses shudder and heave for breath’ but thereafter it often resembles the style of an oral story-teller， fast-forwarding over moments of action – a woman attacked by a crocodile， a raid on the camp – on which other writers might linger。 And sometimes literary shorthand – ‘writhing in comic agony’， men offering themselves to a frustrated widow – can make the narrative seem more like a distant reflection than a live description。 What of Paradise？ There is a legendary garden in Herat， attributed to a （fictional） poet with the same name as the author。 Can paradise exist in reality， asks Yusuf， before coming across a waterfall and lake probably near Kilimanjaro。 ‘If there is paradise on earth， it is here，’ says Mohammed Abdalla， the cynical and cruel expedition leader。 They cannot linger there， but there is another garden， enclosed and at first barred to him， between the shop to which Yusuf must return and the home of Aziz and his closeted wife。 That too is a place of pleasure and enchantment， which I assume Yusuf finally abandons。 Paradise Lost？ 。。。more

Daniel ，

Det är inte det att Abdulrazak inte kan skriva， det kan han。 Vi får följa den unge Yusuf från barnsbenen till sena tonår。 Lite på avstånd， lite i skymundan。 Men aldrig att blicken riktas inåt。 Vem är Yusuf？ Det vet vi lika lite om efter att ha läst boken som innnan vi började。 Aningslös， godhjärtad， vacker， ja närmast bibliskt fulländad i alla sina mänskliga kontakter， ja visst！ Men vem är Yusuf？ Trots alla umbäranden， all ondska， slaveri och död förmår Abdulrazak inte att skapa nerv。 Kanske är Det är inte det att Abdulrazak inte kan skriva， det kan han。 Vi får följa den unge Yusuf från barnsbenen till sena tonår。 Lite på avstånd， lite i skymundan。 Men aldrig att blicken riktas inåt。 Vem är Yusuf？ Det vet vi lika lite om efter att ha läst boken som innnan vi började。 Aningslös， godhjärtad， vacker， ja närmast bibliskt fulländad i alla sina mänskliga kontakter， ja visst！ Men vem är Yusuf？ Trots alla umbäranden， all ondska， slaveri och död förmår Abdulrazak inte att skapa nerv。 Kanske är det för att författaren själv är för godhjärtad， alldeles uppenbart är det så att han tycker om sina egna karaktärer alldeles för mycket。 Summa: Det skapar ett avstånd mellan läsaren och det han läser， jag vet att det fasanfulla sker， men det ända jag känner är författarens humanism。 。。。more

Carmen ，

Isn't it pleasant to think that Paradise will be like this？" Hamid asked， speaking softly into the night air which was full of the sound of water， "Waterfalls that are more beautiful than anything we can imagine。 Even more beautiful than this one， if you can imagine that， Yusuf。 Did you know that is where all earthly waters have their source？ The four rivers of Paradise。 They run in different directions， north south east west， dividing God's garden into quarters。 And there is water everywhere。 U Isn't it pleasant to think that Paradise will be like this？" Hamid asked， speaking softly into the night air which was full of the sound of water， "Waterfalls that are more beautiful than anything we can imagine。 Even more beautiful than this one， if you can imagine that， Yusuf。 Did you know that is where all earthly waters have their source？ The four rivers of Paradise。 They run in different directions， north south east west， dividing God's garden into quarters。 And there is water everywhere。 Under the pavilions， by the orchards， running down terraces， alongside the walks by the woods。" 。。。more

Hanna ，

T - Tanzania

Linda ，

Hmmmm。I got this book so I could read a novel by someone from Tanzania on the occasion of of my first（？） trip to that country。 It's， you know， not bad。 And the whole becoming-and-being familiar with vocabulary and places mentioned was fun， as expected。I'm not entirely sure how or whether I'd describe the plot。 But it's not one of those nothing-happens what's-the-plots。 Quite a bit happens。 It's more of a where-are-we-going and was-that-section-connected-to-this-one what's-the-plot。 It's basicall Hmmmm。I got this book so I could read a novel by someone from Tanzania on the occasion of of my first（？） trip to that country。 It's， you know， not bad。 And the whole becoming-and-being familiar with vocabulary and places mentioned was fun， as expected。I'm not entirely sure how or whether I'd describe the plot。 But it's not one of those nothing-happens what's-the-plots。 Quite a bit happens。 It's more of a where-are-we-going and was-that-section-connected-to-this-one what's-the-plot。 It's basically just one guy's coming of age story， with some thematic consideration of who's in fact a savage， a despot， a slave， etc。 It's the Zanzibar/Arab traders side of things， with a lengthy journey to the interior， and a couple pivotal appearances by colonizing Germans， so there are lots of options for who lords it the most over whom 。Absolutely positively doesn't come close to having a chance to pass the Bechdel test。 If you'd like to ponder whether love makes us free， give it a go。 。。。more

Leo W。 ，

Wonderfully written glimpse into an Africa of a century ago。

Adriane ，

DNF

Caroline ，

This was supposed to be a story about Yusuf。 It ended up being a story about everyone around Yusuf。Disguised as a coming of age tale， this is actually historical fiction about exploration/trade （into the ancient African continent）。 It reminded me of another book by 'King of Kahel' by African writer Tierno that had a great premise but whose format I eventually disliked。 In Paradise， the author's attempt to capture history， makes him forgets about his main character Yusuf and we are only reminded This was supposed to be a story about Yusuf。 It ended up being a story about everyone around Yusuf。Disguised as a coming of age tale， this is actually historical fiction about exploration/trade （into the ancient African continent）。 It reminded me of another book by 'King of Kahel' by African writer Tierno that had a great premise but whose format I eventually disliked。 In Paradise， the author's attempt to capture history， makes him forgets about his main character Yusuf and we are only reminded of Yusuf when his co-characters refer to him as the 'beautiful boy'。 。。。more

Lynne Norman ，

Beautifully written but baffling story that seems to go nowhere。 I'll hold my hands up and admit that I might have missed something - but I'm not sure what it was！ Beautifully written but baffling story that seems to go nowhere。 I'll hold my hands up and admit that I might have missed something - but I'm not sure what it was！ 。。。more

Lolilu ，

Paraiso COMPRAR

Maura ，

Lonely planet recommended book for Tanzania。 I liked it a little better than "petals of blood"， because it had a swifter-moving plot。It had an interesting depiction of how one became a slave to other Africans in colonial Africa。 But otherwise not gripping。 Lonely planet recommended book for Tanzania。 I liked it a little better than "petals of blood"， because it had a swifter-moving plot。It had an interesting depiction of how one became a slave to other Africans in colonial Africa。 But otherwise not gripping。 。。。more

Lisa Faye ，

I really enjoyed listening to a story told while Tanzania was just experiencing the first bit of colonization and even better to hear it from someone from a lower caste。 The plot if pretty much non-existent， but there are some interesting characters in the book that carry you along on the various stories。

Kevin Pedersen ，

Light on story but long on literary-ness。 The book gives a detailed picture of a specific point in time， an Africa on the brink of colonial takeover， told from the point of view of some of the lowest castes in society。 The final pages turn this into a decent character study， too。

Rachel Page ，

Yusuf is taken from his home by his "Uncle" as repayment of his father's debts。 Thrown into a new situation， Yusuf must find his place in the whole as he travels around Africa。The biggest appeal of this book is its writing。 It is evocative and wonderful to read。 The plot itself feels rather inconsequential。 Not much happens other than the development of the main character Yusuf。 It is a book to savour。 Yusuf is taken from his home by his "Uncle" as repayment of his father's debts。 Thrown into a new situation， Yusuf must find his place in the whole as he travels around Africa。The biggest appeal of this book is its writing。 It is evocative and wonderful to read。 The plot itself feels rather inconsequential。 Not much happens other than the development of the main character Yusuf。 It is a book to savour。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Paradise

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Paradise&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Paradise&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0