Paradise

The action of the novel takes place in colonial Africa at a time when English invaders are ousting the natives from their land, while the Germans plan to build a railway across the continent.
Yusuf's father sells his son into slavery... to pay off debts. At first, Yusuf ends up in the shop of his newly minted master, and then embarks on a journey across the country with a trading caravan.
The collapse of the old world, intertribal wars, superstitions, the issues of slavery and inner freedom through the eyes of a boy, along with the problems of growing up and forbidden love, illuminate for the reader a dense canvas in which Africa wraps its beauty and cruelty.