[1][2] The plot centres on Abbas, an immigrant from east Africa living in England, who reflects on his past after he has a stroke.

Aminatta Forna, writing for the Financial Times, described it as "majestic in scale" and praised Gurnah's storytelling and examination of familial relationships.

[2] Giles Foden of The Guardian applauded Gurnah's prose.

[4] On the other hand, a reviewer for Kirkus Reviews criticized the transitions between the past and the present and felt that the book's central dilemma was not compelling enough.

[1] Publishers Weekly wrote that the narrative's pace was occasionally too slow, but praised the plot and the themes of mortality and memory.