The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The last white man tells the story of a town, and possibly a wider society, where the skin colour of the white people darkens at intervals. At first, there are outbreaks of violence and conspiracy theories, before most people accept what has happened. Although the events are far reaching, the narrative is heavily focused on the protagonist Anders, who lives a difficult life working in a gym, and his partner, Oona.

The book reminds me of similar 'transformation' stories such as Jose Saramago's 'blindness', and Naomi Alderman's 'the power'. Although 'the last white man' isn't as good as those works, and the book feels too short, giving itself too little time to fully explore the theme, the prose has a great lyrical quality that made it enjoyable to read.

At the start of the book the relationship between Anders and Oona seems to be in trouble, drifting as a result of a distance between them, and, perhaps, a lack of effort. Anders is one of the first people to transform, which has a curious effect of providing new life into their relationship. Perhaps caused by Anders giving more time to introspection, or because the adverse reaction he receives makes him more sympathetic, Anders and Oona communicate more effectively, and the renewal of their relationship forms the heart of the book.

The two characters' relationships with their parents serve as a proxy to wider events. Anders' father is an emotional restricted man, living alone and often in pain as a result of a progressively advancing illness. Although disturbed by what has happened to his son, he stoically protects him from a mob, allowing him to live at his home, despite his discomfort caused by his son seeing his physical decline. There seems to be a contrast drawn between the widening of Anders' perspective, and the conservatism of his father.

Similarly, Oona's mother becomes drawn to conspiracy theories that the change is caused by a plot to destroy white people. The blossoming of Oona's relationship is contrasted with her mother becoming isolated and paranoid. Both literary analogies work well, and the characters are rich and well drawn.

There is a curious feel to the novel, the lyrical qualities of the prose making the focus seem parochial; one of the only outward responses Anders makes to the political aspects of the crisis is when he talks to a cleaner at his gym, who mentions that he would like higher wages. I think that the scope of the novel could have been widened without detracting from its focus, but in any case, this was an enjoyable and interesting book.



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