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Final Passage

A young woman's quest for identity and freedom

Caryl Phillips author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:1st Apr '04

Should be back in stock very soon

Final Passage cover

Leila's journey in Final Passage explores her quest for identity and freedom as she relocates from a Caribbean island to England.

In Final Passage, Caryl Phillips weaves a poignant tale of Leila, a young woman who grapples with her identity and aspirations while living on a small Caribbean island in the 1950s. At just nineteen, Leila feels the weight of her surroundings pressing down on her, leading to a deep sense of dissatisfaction with the life she knows. The island, with its close-knit community and familiar faces, becomes a symbol of the constraints that bind her, prompting a longing for something more beyond the horizon.

Driven by a desire for change, Leila makes the bold decision to leave her friends and the comforts of her home behind. Accompanied by her restless husband, Michael, and their young son, she ventures to follow her mother overseas. This journey is not merely a physical relocation; it represents a quest for self-discovery and autonomy. As she navigates the challenges of transitioning to life in England, Leila confronts the complexities and consequences of her choices, each step revealing the intricacies of her personal growth.

Final Passage is a rich exploration of themes such as migration, identity, and the pursuit of freedom. Phillips skillfully captures the emotional turmoil of his characters, inviting readers to reflect on the universal struggles of finding one's place in the world. Through Leila's journey, the novel resonates with anyone who has ever felt the urge to break free from their past and forge their own path.

The Final Passage marks the debut of a talented writer...Phillips writes a nicely elegant prose, has a sharply observant eye, and the effect is truthful, modest and convincing * Guardian *
Like Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Phillips writes of times so heady and chaotic and of characters so compelling that time moves as if guided by the moon and dreams * Los Angeles Times Book Review *
One of the literary giants of our time * New York Times *

ISBN: 9780099468585

Dimensions: 198mm x 130mm x 12mm

Weight: 152g

208 pages