A Distant Shore by Caryl Phillips
This is the story of two people who happen to be living next to each other in the north of England: Dorothy, a school teacher who has taken early retirement, and Solomon, her African neighbour, who is the caretaker for the homes in this new build area.
The description of Solomon’s flight from his own country to England shows something of his desperation. The author moves between Dorothy’s history to that of Solomon, and shows how they end up living next to each other; this history holds the readers interest beautifully.