The Last Gift

Although England is not their country of origin, Abbas and Maryam are settled there. Abbas has so deeply buried his past that none of the family knows his secrets, not even Maryam. Adult children Hannah and Jamal are thoroughly anglicized as they make their way in the world. Hannah, outspoken and abrasive, has just moved to be near her new boyfriend, while the quiet Jamal has taken up residence in student housing and has met a girl who intrigues him. Both siblings have grown somewhat distant from their father and his profound silences, as well as from their mother, who has her own secrets. Abbas's sudden collapse leads to his incapacitation, forcing them all to adapt to altered circumstances as best they can. That "every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," as Tolstoy said, is effectively shown here.