AFTERLIVES by Abdulrazak Gurnah

In the early 1900s in East Africa, two young African men join the German army’s fight against the British.  Ilyas has a young sister under his protection but returns her to a life of physical abuse so that he can join the German colonial army in its fight.  The big question may be why, but the bigger question concerns his fate.  The other man is Hamza, who has never met Ilyas, but falls in love with his sister, Ayfia, after he has returned to his village after the war and she has been rescued by the man whom becomes Hamza’s work supervisor.  Both Ilyas and Hamza owe their literacy to the Germans, but Hamza suffers serious injuries that were not sustained in battle.  Ultimately, we have a love story set against a backdrop of European colonialism—first Germany’s and then Britain’s—in East Africa.  More importantly, I think, is the sense of community that surrounds these characters.  Some of their elders are obviously cruel, but others are willing to accept and assist someone like Hamza in need of a leg up.  Despite taciturn and even hostile exteriors, many people, including a pastor and a German officer, help Hamza become an asset to the community.  For anyone not familiar with the geography of East Africa or the impact of WWI on that part of the world, the historical aspect of this novel may be confusing.  However, the family saga is not.  It is easy to follow, and I found myself getting caught up in the lives of these characters, who like Hamza and Afiya, hope to catch a break after enduring so much adversity.