"Leaving" by M.G. Vassanji is a novel about a man named Vikram Lall who returns to his childhood home in Kenya after many years of living abroad. The novel is divided into two parts, with the first part focusing on Vikram's childhood and the second part focusing on his return to Kenya.
In the first part of the novel, Vikram grows up in a privileged Indian family in Kenya during the 1950s and 1960s. He attends a prestigious British school and becomes friends with a group of African boys. However, as Kenya gains independence from Britain and tensions between different ethnic groups rise, Vikram's life becomes more complicated. He becomes involved in the political turmoil of the time and is forced to make difficult choices that have lasting consequences.
In the second part of the novel, Vikram returns to Kenya as an adult to confront his past and try to make amends for his actions. He reconnects with his childhood friends and tries to come to terms with the legacy of colonialism and racism in Kenya. Along the way, he discovers secrets about his family and his own identity that challenge his understanding of himself and his place in the world.
Overall, "Leaving" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel