A Distant Shore

by Caryl Phillips

In a small English village, Dorothy Jones lives next door to Solomon in a new development. Dorothy is a lonely, divorced retiree who is having some psychological problems. Solomon is the development’s watchman. He is an immigrant from an unnamed African country, and he volunteers to drive Dorothy to the doctor in town.

Told in a non-linear fashion, this is really two stories: how Dorothy and Solomon came to their present circumstances. And their individual stories are strikingly similar to two other novels I have read.

Dorothy’s story reminds me of What was She Thinking? (Notes on a Scandal) by Zoë Heller. Solomon’s story reminds me of What is the What by Dave Eggers. Frankly, I’d recommend reading these two novels instead of A Distant Shore.

9/21/09