The Last Gift
by
3.61 · Rating details · 233 ratings · 30 reviews
One day, long before the troubles, he slipped away without saying a word to anyone and never went back. And then another day, forty-three years later, he collapsed just inside the front door of his house in a small English town. It was late in the day when it happened, on his way home after work, but it was also late in the day altogether. He had left things for too long and there was no one to blame for it but himself.
Abbas has never told anyone about his past—before he was a sailor on the high seas, before he met his wife Maryam outside a drugstore in Exeter, before they settled into a quiet life with their children, Jamal and Hanna. Now, at the age of sixty-three, he suffers a collapse that renders him unable to speak about things he thought he would one day have to.
Jamal and Hanna have grown up and gone out into the world. They were both born in England but cannot shake a sense of apartness. Hanna calls herself Anna now, and has just moved to a new city to be near her boyfriend. She feels the relationship is headed somewhere serious, but the words have not yet been spoken out loud. Jamal, the listener of the family, moves into a student house and is captivated by a young woman with dark blue eyes and her own complex story to tell. Abbas's illness forces both children home, to the dark silences of their father and the fretful capability of their mother, Maryam, who has never thought to find herself—until now. (less)
Abbas has never told anyone about his past—before he was a sailor on the high seas, before he met his wife Maryam outside a drugstore in Exeter, before they settled into a quiet life with their children, Jamal and Hanna. Now, at the age of sixty-three, he suffers a collapse that renders him unable to speak about things he thought he would one day have to.
Jamal and Hanna have grown up and gone out into the world. They were both born in England but cannot shake a sense of apartness. Hanna calls herself Anna now, and has just moved to a new city to be near her boyfriend. She feels the relationship is headed somewhere serious, but the words have not yet been spoken out loud. Jamal, the listener of the family, moves into a student house and is captivated by a young woman with dark blue eyes and her own complex story to tell. Abbas's illness forces both children home, to the dark silences of their father and the fretful capability of their mother, Maryam, who has never thought to find herself—until now. (less)
Apr 15, 2016Michael Forester rated it liked it
I discovered Mr Gurnah first as a Mann Booker judge for 2016, only discovering later he had himself been short listed for the Booker twice previously. Intrigued I chose this book to read first almost randomly.
As to subject matter, a lot has been said already on Goodreads about the way the book deals with the lingering sense of immigration decades after arriving in a country, the loosening of family ties in a second generation, loneliness and so on. I will not add to the many good reviews on the books content.
I was, however, somewhat taken aback, and then intrigued with the book structurally and in particular with the sense of 'floating protagonist' it delivered. A first a little irritating, I came quickly to realise that this was a deliberate device, utilised to underpin the exploration of the difficulty in establishing a sense of identity in an alien culture whilst at the same time honouring your roots. Similarly, there is a clear shift of voice when the book's spotlight moves to the second generation of the family, their greater identification with the new country's culture and their remoteness from the original. This generational culture gap and the alienation of the older generation from the younger that results is something dealt with profoundly and sensitively.
The Last Gift is not a book to be read for light relief. It demands much of a reader but giving it what it calls for is rewarding, particularly for the educational and experiential gifts it returns.
Abdulrazak Gurnah is now a fixture on my reading list and will remain for some considerable time to come. (less)
As to subject matter, a lot has been said already on Goodreads about the way the book deals with the lingering sense of immigration decades after arriving in a country, the loosening of family ties in a second generation, loneliness and so on. I will not add to the many good reviews on the books content.
I was, however, somewhat taken aback, and then intrigued with the book structurally and in particular with the sense of 'floating protagonist' it delivered. A first a little irritating, I came quickly to realise that this was a deliberate device, utilised to underpin the exploration of the difficulty in establishing a sense of identity in an alien culture whilst at the same time honouring your roots. Similarly, there is a clear shift of voice when the book's spotlight moves to the second generation of the family, their greater identification with the new country's culture and their remoteness from the original. This generational culture gap and the alienation of the older generation from the younger that results is something dealt with profoundly and sensitively.
The Last Gift is not a book to be read for light relief. It demands much of a reader but giving it what it calls for is rewarding, particularly for the educational and experiential gifts it returns.
Abdulrazak Gurnah is now a fixture on my reading list and will remain for some considerable time to come. (less)
Aug 21, 2017Shirley Revill rated it did not like it
A really good story when I got into it but I must admit I got lost with some of the family members at times.
Really glad I finished reading because I really enjoyed the book in the end.
Really glad I finished reading because I really enjoyed the book in the end.
Oct 31, 2020Rita Chapman rated it did not like it
I found this book unutterably boring and without any redeeming features. Don't believe the review that says it gets better towards the end! (less)
An immmigrant's story, told from the dying father as he unloads a lifetime of secrets. The pacing is a bit off — starts very slow and then ends with a rush — but the story is captivating, though the characters feel thinly developed. (less)
Reading the world in books: Tanzania.
Second book I've read by this author as I prepare for a trip to Africa. An older man (early '60's) living in England with his wife has a stroke. While recovering he feels the need to tell his wife about his life in Zanzibar, a country he left abruptly in his youth. His wife, son and daughter know only that he was from Tanzania but nothing about where exactly or why he left. Meanwhile his wife, a "foundling" also has secrets she has never told. The book refers back to his early life in Zanzibar a ...more
Oct 16, 2012Shagufta rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Excellent read! Touches issues of identity, family immigration. My full reflection/thoughts are here:http://seriouslyplanning.wordpress.co... (less)
The Last Gift By Abdul Razak Gurnah
London, 2010.
One of the joys of reading is finding a piece of yourself in the pages of a book and feeling like the world is a bit smaller because someone has understood and put into words the way you feel. Recently I read Abdul Razak Gurnah’s book “The Last Gift” and it was a read that was packed with such moments.
The book is about a couple named Abbas and Maryam who have been married for thirty years and their two children Jamal and Anna. Jamal is doing his PhD in migration, Maryam is frustrated and uncertain about her long term relationship and the four of them are a family who know little about each other’s lives. When Abbas suffers from a diabetic crisis and a stroke at the beginning of the book however, the stories and secrets of their family begin to emerge.
More than simply an interesting novel, it is a fascinating and thoughtful read that addresses themes of identity, immigration, belonging, family, relationships, duty and love. Though we may not have deep secrets we’ve all had that feeling of realising that there is much we don’t know about those we love, and in its juxtaposition of a family oblivious to the thoughts and history of one another, and observations about what it means to belong and to feel foreign in a place more generally, this book makes you think deeply about how you define the word home, and the cruelty and harshness we often show to those we care about the most.
In addition to asking its reader to think about what it means to be a family, it asks the reader to think about the privilege in our own lives. It points out the conversations we may enter not considering the assumptions we are making about the lives of others or the privilege involved when we expect others to answer our very personal questions.
Below, some of my favourite, most memorable passages from the book.
On Learning
There was a library, with hundreds of books that he could take home to read if he wished. It was like all his schooling, until then had taken place in a small room, a small empty shut away room. Then someone had opened the door and he found out that the room was a tiny little cell in a huge building. (p.128)
On Knowledge and Adulthood..
He felt that he was at an important moment in his life although he was not sure of the source of this feeling. Perhaps it was a sense of impeding decisions, that for the first time in his life he would be able to choose what he would do with himself. He considered this and decided that he did not think it was that. Perhaps it was to do with approaching the end of his PhD, a sense of completing a job and it was this which made him feel grown up, an adult, an agent in the world. He did feel that sense but that was a plodder’s delight, satisfaction at (nearly) getting a job done, not any expectation of having arived at transforming knowledge. (p.85)
On epistemologies..
It was what he studied, migration trends and policies in the European Union. He could describe the patterns and provide the historical context, locate this wave from the Maghreb and its destination and that one from Zimbabwe and how it dispersed. He could construct tables and draw graphs, yet he knew that each one of those dots on his chart had a story that the graphs could not illustrate. He knew that from his Ba, and he knew that from the faces that he saw in the streets, and from the silent spaces in the reports he read. He knew that it was a clutter of ambition and fear and desperation and incomprehension that brought people so far and enabled them to put up with so much. (p.86)
On Stereotypes and Privilege
“They were all looking at her, waiting for her to speak, to tell them what her real nation was. She wished she could get up and leave, and walk quickly to the train station and travel to wherever her real nation was. She wished she had more panache, and knew how to charm people she did not like.” (p.116)
On War and Citizenship..
“They took no notice of those who marched, or of others who didn’t march but raised their objections in other ways, and went right ahead with their war. It made Jamal wonder what it meant to be a citizen: how millions of them listened to what they were told, and thought about it and were not persuaded, how so many people, all over the world, spoke their reluctance and outrage and disagreement, and yet how all of this made no difference. ” (p.126)
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May 26, 2021Desca Ang rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: tunisian-writer, tunisia, abdulrazak-gurnah
The review is taken from my IG bookstagram account : @descanto
What are you going to say on your deathbed?
Abbas was a sailor from unidentified country in Africa. He met his wife, Maryam when she was 17 and he was 34. They had an eloped marriage but Abbas has kept the story of his origins from Maryam and their children, Jamal and Hanna.
And after living in the Great Britain for years, Abbas is now on his deathbed. He wants nothing but to reveal his secret to the family. Little did we know, that secrets lead them to reveal other secrets that have been kept hidden.
The book is typical book written about the immigrant family. It deals with the fading sense of belongings and the id crisis after living more than decades in a new country. The loosening of family ties, the roots, loneliness are some of the things you will see as soon as you read this book.
I honestly dun really find the book 'chewy.' The narration is somehow too flat and I often left with my eye balls rolled while murmuring, "gimme something spicy to chew!" But I admire Gurnah's ability in shifting the point of view among Abbas, Maryam, Hanna and Jamal without even interrupting the narration.
If you are into diaspora writer and diaspora literature then give this book a go. (less)
What are you going to say on your deathbed?
Abbas was a sailor from unidentified country in Africa. He met his wife, Maryam when she was 17 and he was 34. They had an eloped marriage but Abbas has kept the story of his origins from Maryam and their children, Jamal and Hanna.
And after living in the Great Britain for years, Abbas is now on his deathbed. He wants nothing but to reveal his secret to the family. Little did we know, that secrets lead them to reveal other secrets that have been kept hidden.
The book is typical book written about the immigrant family. It deals with the fading sense of belongings and the id crisis after living more than decades in a new country. The loosening of family ties, the roots, loneliness are some of the things you will see as soon as you read this book.
I honestly dun really find the book 'chewy.' The narration is somehow too flat and I often left with my eye balls rolled while murmuring, "gimme something spicy to chew!" But I admire Gurnah's ability in shifting the point of view among Abbas, Maryam, Hanna and Jamal without even interrupting the narration.
If you are into diaspora writer and diaspora literature then give this book a go. (less)
Oct 13, 2021Diana L. rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Complications of Family
As a child, you never really think about it, but of course your parents keep secrets. And when you layer immigration, racism, colonialism, the foster care system, and shame on top of secrecy, you get this book. It was lyrical and lovely, and also dark and sad. Four stars, but mainly because I wanted more. I wanted to see the hinted-at transformation of the characters. I wanted to know them better.
As a child, you never really think about it, but of course your parents keep secrets. And when you layer immigration, racism, colonialism, the foster care system, and shame on top of secrecy, you get this book. It was lyrical and lovely, and also dark and sad. Four stars, but mainly because I wanted more. I wanted to see the hinted-at transformation of the characters. I wanted to know them better.
Apr 22, 2020Gill rated it really liked it · review of another edition
So glad I finally got around to reading this, I loved it. The stories of Abbas, Maryam, Hanna (Anna)and Jamal are beautifully interwoven. The family tensions and secrets unfold in a way which left me with sympathy for all of them, there are no easy answers. If I had a criticism it is that there is a lot going on, I think some elements of the story could have been omitted for a deeper exploration of others. But overall, a great read.
Apr 24, 2021Letizia rated it it was amazing
La prosa più delicata che abbia mai letto
A very good book about family betrayal switching between past and present.
Tanzania
Nov 13, 2018Baljit rated it liked it
Poignant tale of people who are displaced due to circumstance and never share their past. Sadly thier children feel rootless and the revelation reveals much about the parents.
Aug 29, 2017Mariam rated it it was amazing
Abdulrazak Gurnah a master story teller and won a number of prizes. His novels always have the African diasporic theme. He tends to reflect his own life as an African author who lived his whole life away from home, Zanzibar. In last gift, tells a story of a man’s silences who is ashamed of his previous life. He never told his family where he came from. They don’t know anything about his history. In one hand, he strangles with illness as he eventually reveals his secrets to his wife, his daughter and son. There is a sense of irony in its title, the traumatic memory and the different formulation of mixed identity. For sure this novel worth reading. The complexity of being Muslim in a foreign land who suffer suspicion and physical and physiological difficulty.
عبد الرزاق قرنه، روائي حائز على عدة جوائز ويصنف كأحد افضل الكتاب في رواية القصة. كروايته الاخرى، تتحدث عن الشتات والصمت الذي يلاحق الشخصية الرئيسية، عباس، بسبب أخفاء تاريخه وأخطاءه الشنيعة في حياته السابقة التي أدت في الاساس الى هروبه من بلده إلى الاغتراب في أورباء. دور الزوجة في مساعدة عباس في اجتياز حالته المرضية والتي أدت محاولتها الى الفشل الذريع. قبل أن يلفظ أنفاسه الاخيرة يكشف عن جميع أسراره التي خلفها وحيدة في الوطن. ويأتي دور أسرته في تقرير ماذا ستفعل بشأن تاريخه المعلق في الوطن. رواية تستحق القراءة بكل تأكيد.
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عبد الرزاق قرنه، روائي حائز على عدة جوائز ويصنف كأحد افضل الكتاب في رواية القصة. كروايته الاخرى، تتحدث عن الشتات والصمت الذي يلاحق الشخصية الرئيسية، عباس، بسبب أخفاء تاريخه وأخطاءه الشنيعة في حياته السابقة التي أدت في الاساس الى هروبه من بلده إلى الاغتراب في أورباء. دور الزوجة في مساعدة عباس في اجتياز حالته المرضية والتي أدت محاولتها الى الفشل الذريع. قبل أن يلفظ أنفاسه الاخيرة يكشف عن جميع أسراره التي خلفها وحيدة في الوطن. ويأتي دور أسرته في تقرير ماذا ستفعل بشأن تاريخه المعلق في الوطن. رواية تستحق القراءة بكل تأكيد.
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