I read Paradise a couple of years ago. It was my first book by Abdulrazak Gurnah. Later, I read Theft, his most recent novel.
Gurnah’s writing is slow, and it requires patience. Some readers enjoy this. I do not. What I do enjoy, however, is his use of language. His writing is lyrical and poetic, and that is what stayed with me.
I have written a full review of Paradise here, where I explore the novel’s themes and characters in more detail. And you can watch my Theft review here.
I have noticed a steady appetite for Paradise on my blog, so instead of revisiting the full review, I am sharing quotes from the book that have stayed with me since reading it.
“What has love to do with age? And that woman loves you, yet you cause her constant misery. Can’t you see her heart is breaking? Have you no eyes? Have you no feelings?”
A reminder that just because someone knows how much you love them, it does not mean they will be kind enough to spare you pain. Sometimes, they do the opposite. They hurt you because they know how much you are willing to endure. Love yourself enough never to tolerate that.
“Beauty lies deep in the person, in the soul. Not just on the surface.”
Both inner and physical beauty may matter. But inner beauty often enhances what is already visible, while physical beauty alone does not work the same way in reverse.
Or do you think I do not know the pain of love that goes wrong? Do you think I feel nothing?
I went for a walk recently with a friend, and we found ourselves talking about how painful love can be. As we walked, we overheard two women talking. One said, “He is posting things so that I can feel pain for losing him.”
My friend and I laughed, not because heartbreak is funny, but because love has a way of humbling everyone. No one escapes it untouched.
Look at their happiness,” he said, unsmiling. “Like a mindless herd of beasts approaching water. We are like that, small-minded creatures misled by our ignorance.
It is difficult to enjoy life fully if you are not a little ignorant. Life is filled with unpleasant things. If you take it too seriously all the time, it will weigh you down. Awareness matters, but so does allowing yourself moments of lightness, even foolishness.
“He doesn’t mind taking risks, and he’s afraid of nothing. There’s no foolishness in him because he sees the world as it is. And it is a cruel, bad place.”
There are people who see the world only as cruel because that is the lens they choose to see it through. Yes, unpleasant things exist. But so do gentle, ordinary, and beautiful ones. What you notice most often says a great deal about how you move through life.
These are five quotes from Paradise, and this is how I interpret them. Your reading may lead you somewhere else, and that is the point. Books invite us to translate them through our own experiences.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Which quote stayed with you, and why?
See you soon.
Always,
Jane 🙂
