In a recent interview, Mohsin Hamid, author of The Last White Man, among other critically acclaimed books, recalls advice Toni Morrison gave him in a long ago writing workshop. She noted that “You want to keep your reader a sort of half-heartbeat ahead of the action, so that what comes next can be a surprise, but it should feel like it was inevitable.” This is a delicate and tricky venture, but one in which The Last White Man excels. As in the award-winning, Exit West, Hamid shines at magical realism, with a propulsive narrative line and storytelling arc so natural, yet so unexpected, that this work fits the definition of what Morrison encourages.

The premise is deceptively simple, Anders, a young white man, who works as a trainer in a New York gym, wakes up one day to discover that his skin has turned deep brown. He has heard faint rumors of this phenomenon but when it happens to him, he experiences shame, terror, anger and dread: “he realized that he was the victim of a crime….a crime that had taken everything from him, for how could he say he was Anders now, be Anders now, with this other man staring him down.”
And the circle of family and friends, most of whom become former friends, experience a similar range of emotions when faced with the new Anders. His boss, remarks “I would have killed myself …if it was me.” The one person who seemingly accepts this change, at least on the surface, is his on again/off again girlfriend, Oona, the only other named character in the book. Ander’s father, a terminally ill, terminally stoic construction foreman, who has always had a difficult time connecting with Anders, now finds this strange somewhat distasteful man near unbearable to be around, though he tries to continue the responsibilities of a father, even if the emotions are alien. Oona’s mother is entirely comfortable with her racism, supported by right wing theology, and when she catches Oona and Anders in an intimate embrace, she immediately runs to the bathroom and vomits.

And what of the rest of the world? As more but not all people experience this same sudden change, it falls apart, but slowly, inch by inch, step by step and then in huge running leaps. Hamid’s methodical, yet flowing, account of the societal transformation is an edge-of-your-seat read. For lack of a better term, the densely woven microaggressions and fears people of color experience are meticulously and stirringly depicted. This is a fairly slim novel with an abundance of themes, many of which might make the reader uncomfortable, as they should. But at its heart, The Last White Man, is a great love story, not just of Anders and Oona, but of Anders and his father, grittily determined to face death and his dark son with honor and a ferocious sense of self that eventually dissolves all the barriers. Highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for an advance copy ..

A curious, affecting parable that starts with Kafka, goes on to white replacement theory and yet ends with peace and grace. The metaphor of skin color change is a powerful one and Hamid is deft in welding large subject matter to the intimacy of his two central characters and their familial backgrounds. Emotion is palpable, especially parental love. Does the happy ending seem appropriate? Not entirely, but the storytelling is so quietly compelling that the reader will probably stick with it.

💪🏼🦾BOOK REVIEW 💪🏼🦾

“…race is a construct. It is brought into existence by our imaginations, and from there it is deployed with real consequences…It is we who invent race and it’s terrible meanings.”

Thank you @mohsinhamid and @riverheadbooks for the gifted copy of THE LAST WHITE MAN, which releases on August 2 (coming soon!!)

Thoughts 💭: I have been familiar with Pakistani British Mohsin Hamid’s other novels such as Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (which later became a film adaptation) as well. In this work of speculative fiction, Hamid takes the literal concept of “race as a construct” and turns it on its head. While the story focuses on an examination of colorism and how it has lasting effects on creating our intersectional identities, it is hard to not remember films like District 9, which was a metaphor for the racism and bigotry during the Apartheid in South Africa as the main character who detested the aliens transformed into one himself. I also couldn’t stop thinking about how race/colorism/ethnicity are also at the heart of genocides that are also driven by the need to eliminate unacceptable identities, and in which racial and ethnic identities play a key role, as they do in the novel as the sudden transformation of the world that Anders inhabits descends into chaos as many people become “dark” from white. Hamid’s novel, therefore, is a form of discomforting narrative - what if it happens to us one day? What if we lose our privilege?

Many goodreads reviewers have called Ander’s transformation as Kafka-esque (which is true to an extent), but as a post-colonialist, I feel that Hamid’s presentation of Ander’s transformation is so much more - he begins with problematizing white privilege and “whiteness”, but then he also views this racial transformation as a contagious disease that is leading to bigotry and violence, as citizens within Andre’s universe are also transforming into a different race. As Hamid mentions in the introduction of his next classic, “fiction has a strange power, a profound weirdness, that it enables it to destabilize the collective imaginings we inherit and reproduce” Thus, it is this fictional portal that allows us to re-imagine a world in which skin color is also temporal and beyond our control. And, indeed with The Last White Man, Hamid is not only addressing the racialization and bigotry that people of color have experienced in post-9/11 era but this book is a testament to current times in which we continue to mourn the loss of men and women who remain vulnerable to the law and white supremacy.

Moreover, his text also has an impact on the South Asian societies both in the sub-continent and on the global platform as well, as whiteness as prized within the region and shapes the way in which a woman or man is accepted within the society. Activist and actress Nandita Das had in 2013 led a “Dark is beautiful” campaign after there was a controversy when Nina Divaluri won Miss America and that led to questions on media platforms of belonging, colorism, and nationhood.

As a Pakistani British author, his new novel further addresses how colorism remains pertinent in contemporary times, and speaks to the post-colonial era in which we live. My friend, sociologist Somia Bibi’s doctoral research focuses on a similar subject as she explores the impact of colorism on beauty standards in the lives of British South Asian women. It is heartening to see that we are finally having these salient conversations on a global platform as it is clear from Hamid’s novel that colorism is a pertinent and timely global issue that we need to confront and embrace.

I don't throw around the word, "classic," but we have one here with Mohsin Hamid's The Last White Man, a fascinating, complex book based on the simple question: what would happen if white people turned brown--or "dark" as Hamid calls it throughout the book?

After all, "white" isn't earned by anyone who might carry the title, it is a minority in all but three dozen countries. Yet, thanks to ages of Imperialism, it carries with it (for some) priviledge, supremacy, arrogance. What if it were taken away?

In his last book, Exit West, Hamid took his readers inside the experiences of two lovers, escaping a conflict zone that seemed a lot like Syria for life as refugees in a developed country that seemed a lot like Britain. It was a masterful book--eye-opening, especially for those who fear migrants and refugees (or see them as a single, 'othered,' brown mass of humanity).

The Last White Man begins just as Kafka's Metamorphosis began: with a man waking up in the morning transformed into something he doesn't recognize as he looks in the mirror. Kafka turned his protagonist into a beetle; Hamid turns Anders into a dark-skinned person.

There are so many places a plot like this can go, but Hamid maintains control of the narrative and doesn't let it go off the rails (I would love to see a "deleted scenes" of previous drafts). Anders--whose name sounds similar to the German word for "other"--doesn't want to go out after the transformation; he is embarrassed, he notes the way people treat him differently. He also notices the one other dark-skinned co-worker at the gym, someone he has ignored for years.

Close to Anders is his girlfriend, Oona--whose name is Latin for "universal." Oona is at first uncomfortable with Anders's change, but over the course of the novel grows to really love him and embrace his dark skin. The growth in her character is a real highlight of the book.

Hamid shows how society changes as others join Anders in the mysterious change. Two supporting characters, Anders's father and Oona's mother, provide a "boomer" perspective on the de-racialization (or would it be re-racialization?) of society, especially the way white-wing media respond to the growing numbers of dark-skinned people in the area.

This was such a clever premise, yet on every page I found surprises. I felt engaged by more characters than just "the last white man" (a surprise twist at the end). Hamid isn't just playing with plot here. He sees a way to another perspective on race, and he offers it to readers as a solution to racist pasts and fears of lost culture.

Another clever aspect of the book was Hamid's sentences. Every paragraph of the book is a complete sentence, and this led to some somewhat confusing and convoluted paragraphs. I wondered a few times how much easier the book might be to read if the sentences were more straightforward. But who am I to question a masterful writer who shows on every page of this short novel that he is at the top of his game.

For this white reader--a Gen Xer, for the record--The Last White Man was one of the best novels on understanding race that I have rad. Personally, I wold put it up there with Native Son and Invisible Man. The topic, length, and modern approach make it an excellent choice for teachers to assign in their classes as well.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this review.

The Last White Man is a fascinating concept but falls flat in its execution. When people in the town start turning darker the author had a real chance to show the racism prevalent in the society. While there are piece there that address this it is never fully fleshed out. I’m curious to see how others view this book.

"A provocative and welcomingly unpredictable work, taking readers to deeply humane places and through moving considerations that similar works rarely visit."

From my Library Journal review.

I just finished this book a few moments ago and the first thing I said was "what an odd book." It is beautifully written and very claustrophobic, set in a town that might as well be on the moon, as disconnected as it seems from the rest of the world. Slowly all the white residents turn brown, there are riots and unrest, and then enough people turn brown that things revert back to normal. Definitely allegories to Covid and the events of summer 2020. It's a quick read and quite engrossing.

OK, I would read Hamid's grocery list if it was published. And my thanks to Riverhead Books and NetGalley for the ebook ARC. I was so excited to see he had published a new novel that I started reading this within a few days of receiving it.
But after "Exit West", a book so good I gave it as a gift multiple times, this was a real disappointment.
A great idea, but it just never seems to come together.
Set in an unnamed small city (3 hrs from a large city, so it is not in Europe, and snow, so not CA - not sure where it is - NY?), white people begin to wake up (why not change in the middle of the day?) with darker skin color. They are now "colored". Compared by some pre-reviews to Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", it just never seems to have the horror, or even the fear (despite the riots and vigilantes), of that novella. And this also is rather a novella - it can easily be read in 1 or 2 sittings.
And then there is the subplot of the elderly parents, and death of parents and a sibling. It just often feels like another story, and I'm not sure why it is part of this one.
Again, an interesting idea, and with the current right wing crazies across the globe afraid of "the great replacement", a worthy concept to work with as a novel.
Also, I am not sure if it is part of Hamid having been raised in Paksitan and the US, and lived in England, but his sentence structure is "unusual". Told by a Third Person Narrator (there is very little dialog in the book), the sentence structure is often complex, and "interesting". I really enjoy it, and it makes a reader pause and think about what is being said, by how it is being said. He is a simple yet complex writer, and it all adds to the depth of what he is saying with this writing style.
Again, a disappointment - but it did get me to go back and buy copies of his essay collection and first novel, which I had not read before.
And - I look forward to his next novel.
2 out of 5 - It Was OK.

A brief and amusing novel about what would happen if everyone in the world turned into a brown person.

This is one author I will read anything from. The structure and tension of this novel had me finishing the book in one sitting!

Thanks to Net Galley for early access. Hamid is great at tackling race in a very original plot. Writing and characters are so well done. The message was so powerful and reflections on society and race were intense.
Loved it.

Hamid continues to stun readers with his thought provoking and original prose. As much a political commentary as a reflection on grief and love this is one of those books you will both love and hate that you've read for it will consume your thoughts for years to come.

Mohsin Hamid is a favorite writer of mine. Tho the plot seems far fetched, it was a good read and I'll look forward as always to his next one!

Another engaging read from Mohsin Hamid that will have readers thinking about the book and it’s messages long after they have finished it.

Pale people are waking up dark and society is not ready for it. Hamid writes in long, breathless sentences that convey the urgency and anxiety of a society structured around race that, nearly overnight, loses its foundation. When whiteness with all of its attendant privileges is stripped away, what remains? Hamid gestures at a future where everyone can be liberated if the concept of whiteness is thoroughly abandoned. The reader’s note at the beginning helps ground the story and adds nuance. His books are always affecting and a joy to read, even amidst painful subject matter. The prose is beautiful while never being overwrought.

The premise of the book is great however, the execution fell through a bit for me. While the writing was fantastic, the story didn't feel like it took advantage of the discussions that it could have had. I would love to continue to read from this author in the future, though.

Mercifully, this is a short book. The concept is unique and the reactions ring true, but there is little action. It’s what I would call, “ a brooding atmospheric” book. It would have served better as a short story. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.