“The Final Passage” by Caryl Phillips (pronounced Carl) follows the early life of young Leila, a girl of 19, growing up in the West Indies and eventually moving to England in the 1950s. The novel unveils the protagonist Leila, a half black, half white Caribbean girl, and her growing up experiences, as she copes with her mother’s chronic illness and struggles over who to marry and for what reasons.

Leila as the protagonist does not offer an image of a strong, empowered woman. Though showing positive qualities in other areas, Leila appears passive, particularly towards men in her life, and her actions often leave the reader wanting some grand show of agency or strength amidst the heartache’s around her.

Beside the main character is her best friend Millie. Millie seems to fill the need for a stronger female character. Millie provides powerful support to Leila, when her mother’s illness prompts her to leave the West Indies for better medical care in England. Best friends since early childhood, both women experience motherhood roughly around the same. However, though Millie’s daughter affirms her need to stay on the island, the birth of Leila’s son compels her to leave in search of something better.

Repeatedly, Leila experiences opportunities for a fresh start, and yet the same patterns of passivity emerge even after she makes the extensive journey across the Atlantic with her son and husband, Michael, to England.

Both Leila and Michael experience what it means to be outsiders and impoverished in their new English life. They search for a home in an overtly racist society, and end up with one in shambles. Frustratingly, Michael’s presence in Leila’s life begins to fade as he sinks into a wild life on the streets of London.

The story is written in a non linear style, and the reader has to actively piece together the bits of information in Leila’s journey. The novel is not particularly uplifting, as you string together Leila’s life. Though written by a male author, the novel provides one of the most genuine female voices and a simply beautifully written story.

Through the ups and downs, there remains a desire to continue reading despite the struggles that befall. If simply read for the interesting depiction of a colonized subject’s journey to the homeland of the English Empire, there will be no disappointment in this harsh yet realistic portrayal.