Desertion is a historical and postcolonial novel set across East Africa and England, exploring how love, colonial history, and cultural misunderstanding shape people’s lives across generations. The story moves between different time periods, beginning in 1899 in a small coastal East African town, where a forbidden relationship develops between Martin Pearce, a British visitor, and Rehana, a local woman.
Their relationship creates consequences that ripple through families and generations, influencing the lives of later characters in both Africa and England. In the modern timeline, the novel follows descendants and related characters who are still affected—often unknowingly—by the legacy of that early colonial encounter.
Abdulrazak Gurnah uses this multi-generational structure to explore how colonialism continues to shape intimacy, identity, and belonging long after formal empire has ended. Buy in Kenya with fast delivery.
What you’ll learn
Colonial encounters in East Africa
Themes of love, betrayal, and cultural conflict
Intergenerational trauma and legacy
Migration and identity between Africa and Europe
Postcolonial historical fiction structure
Who should read it
Readers who enjoy postcolonial literature
Fans of Abdulrazak Gurnah’s novels
Anyone interested in colonial history and its aftermath
Readers who like multi-generational storytelling
Why buy Desertion from Readers’ Republik
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Related books:
By the Sea – Abdulrazak Gurnah
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis – Giorgio Bassani
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