The Illegal

Written by Lawrence Hill

Narrated by Gideon Emery

Keita Ali has nothing: no bank account, no papers, no legal identity. A runner, he has fled home-- a brutal dictatorship that produces the world' s fastest marathoners-- to live as an illegal refugee in a wealthy western nation, surviving on winnings from local races. But the government is cracking down on illegal immigrants, so Keita-- who will be executed if he is deported to his homeland-- goes underground. Now, a series of crises call for him to earn quick money: an unscrupulous businessman targets him, a serious health problem erupts, and, most troublingly, officials in Keita' s native country kidnap his sister, threatening to execute her unless he pays a ransom. As Keita struggles to resolve these problems, he discovers a troubling political connection between his native and his adopted country. The Illegal is a rich, riveting novel that weaves a complex moral and psychological web.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781501904561

Lawrence Hill

LAWRENCE HILL is the award-winning and internationally bestselling author of The Book of Negroes, which was made into a six-part TV mini-series, and The Illegal, which won CBC’s Canada Reads and was a #1 national bestseller. His previous novels Some Great Thing and Any Known Blood also became national bestsellers. Hill’s non-fiction work includes Blood: The Stuff of Life, the subject of his 2013 Massey Lectures, and Black Berry, Sweet Juice, a memoir about growing up black and white in Canada. Lawrence Hill has volunteered with Crossroads International, the Black Loyalist Heritage Society, Book Clubs for Inmates and the Ontario Black History Society. A professor of creative writing at the University of Guelph, Lawrence Hill lives with his family in Hamilton, Ontario, and Woody Point, Newfoundland. 

Reviews for The Illegal

[northwestknitter · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing. I had really enjoyed reading a previous book by this author (The Book of Negroes) and looked forward to reading this one, hoping for a similar type of storytelling, fiction based on real world events and for the book to be written from a Canadian perspective. Given that Hill chose to write a novel about an illegal immigrant at a time when immigrants to Canada were very much a part of public discussion, I had thought that this book would tell a story about being a refugee in Canada, I thought it would be well researched and insightful with strong characters. Based on the last book I read by Hill, I thought this book would have a lot more than it actually did.

Instead of writing about a refugee in Canada, Hill instead chose to create a fictional homeland and then have the character immigrate to another fictional country. This gave him the freedom to make up any story he wanted, without doing any research or work to weave a story around the real world. The end result was that the story seemed gutless and weak, and that ignored the rich background of Canadian culture and it's relationship with immigration. There are some Canadian easter eggs thrown in, some street names that Canadians will know (even though they are in "Freedomland") and the characters go on a date to "Tim's" which involved too much explanation of what a Tim Horton's was. This all just seemed like silly pandering.

And so we have a story about an athlete in one country who flees to another country, lots of descriptions of him running in marathons and his aches and pains, and the people he meets who live in a small world and somehow all intertwine by convenient and coincidental meetings. The characters are all boring as hell and each fits into a stereotype (the black lesbian in a wheelchair, little old lady who still has her wits but son wants to put her in a home, the brothel owner with a heart of gold, the corrupt politician....). There's a bit of a political corruption subplot (or is that the main plot?) and it all comes together tidily in the end. Overall, just a very tedious read and I'm actually surprised that I finished it.

[lisatimpf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting and topical read, with some strong female characters and good world-building. The parts about running came across as very authentic. Hill created a sense of tension and suspense, with a satisfying conclusion.

For me, the pace seemed to pick up after the first four chapters.

[librarycin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Keita’s father is murdered, he flees his country to neighbouring Freedom State, where he is considered an “illegal”. Keita is a (very gifted) runner, so he continues to train and enter marathons. When he hears his sister has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom, the stakes on winning those marathons (and the money) are so much higher. There is a bit more to this, with secondary characters (a lesbian journalist in a wheelchair, a young prostitute “illegal” sent home and murdered, the madame of the brothel, some high level political figures, a teenaged talented documentary maker). Overall, I’d rate it ok. I’m not sure if it would be of more interest to people who enjoy sports, with all the running, or maybe to people who enjoy political fiction. Sometimes political stuff is of more interest to me, but I think it depends on how it’s done. I listened to the audio, and the narrator was fine, nothing special, but didn’t detract, either, I didn’t think. The story itself was fine.

[sharonstern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable though ultimately lightweight read, despite the intensity of much of its subject matter. Keita is a gifted runner from Zantoroland, a country of gifted runners. His father is a journalist, who finds himself targeted by the country's newly-installed dictatorship. Keita manages to escape to Freedom State, a wealthy, white country whose awkward name calls attention to the corruption of language and ideals that sustains it. He leads a fraught existence without documentation, trying to excel enough at running to fund his needs, while not being so excellent as to draw the attention of the authorities. He "The Illegal" is at its best when illuminating the crushing network of racism, greed, and corruption its dark-skinned characters are caught in, in both countries. Zantoroland and Freedom State are two sides of the same coin, ultimately colluding in destroying human life. But the suspense plot overlaid on top of the human drama feels forced, as does the series of Dickensian plot twists that help our hero. You want Keita to come out well in the end, of course, and he deserves a happy ending. But the earlier complexities of the book are overshadowed by how neatly everything gets wrapped up in the end.

[rodraglin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Illegal reads like a fairy tale, poorly writtenZantoroland is a small island ruled by an evil dictator. People from Zantoroland are black, poor and friendly. The only thing good about Zantoroland is it produces the fastest long distant runners in the world. Keita, the protagonist is one of them.Fifteen hundred kilometres across the Sea of Ortiz is Freedom State, a far larger island, a democracy and one of the wealthiest nations in the world. People from Freedom State are mostly white, mostly rich and mostly bigots.The people of Zantoroland are trying to get to Freedom State anyway they can for obvious reasons. The people of Freedom State are tired of illegal immigrants for obvious reasons and have elected a quasi-fascist government to find and deport them.When Keita's father is murdered by the evil dictator he must flee and ends up in Freedom State. Unfortunately, the evil dictator has kidnapped his sister and is demanding Keita pay a ransom for her release.As an illegal the only way Keita can make money to pay the ransom is to win long distance races.This is the premise behind The Illegal by Lawrence Hill. This preposterous plot is further hobbled by stereotypical characters including the aforementioned evil dictator, a whore with a heart of gold, a female cop that answers to love rather than her commander, a feisty old lady, and a sleazy, unethical prime minister and his sociopathic assistant.The political machinations in The Illegal are convoluted to the point of being ridiculous. On every level, except for the running, this novel lacks authenticity and credibility. The first sentence of The Illegal should have began , "Once upon a time..." The last, "And they lived happily, ever after."

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read for book club.I'm giving this 4 stars, because (once you get to the part set in Freedom State) it was a compelling read, but this is not really my kind of book and I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say I enjoyed it.Keito lives in Zantororoland, where he is (via his mother) part of an increasingly unpopular ethnic minority. His father, a journalist, is murdered by the state and Keito, a marathon runner, travels to Freedom State to compete in a race and there goes underground as "an Illegal". The white majority in Freedom State looks down on and seeks to deport undocumented migrants from Zantororoland - there seems to be no understanding of asylum, just economic immigration.The middle of this novel, once we are introduced to John, Ivernia, Candace, Violet, Lula etc, is exciting as we work out exactly what is going on, but the ending is a bit neat and tidy; everyone ends happily and all is well with the world - really...?Also, it is a cricket match, not a game, and rugby players are not "slender".

[lindsay_w_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was the 2016 winner of CBC’s Canada Reads competition. It was eloquently championed by Olympian, and fellow author, Clara Hughes who argued that understanding the experience of one refugee would engender compassion for all refugees. It definitely achieved that I would say.I liked the way Hill wove all the characters’ stories together and showed a broad spectrum of voices; young, old, black, white, mixed race, rich, poor, all political affiliations, all of whom either helped or hindered Keita’s running journey and his quest for legal status. I did wonder why Hill chose fictional settings for the story, when any number of countries could have stood in for Zantoroland and Freedom State, but perhaps that makes Keita’s experience more universally applicable. I hear that this book, like The Book of Negros, is being adapted into a miniseries.

[sheilacornelisse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

With all the hype about this book, I was slightly disappointed with this read. Keita Ali escapes his homeland (fictional Zantoroland) when political corruption threatens his family and his life. Famous for his abilities as a marathon runner, he attempts to hide in Freedom State where he is recognized and pursued by the agent who brought him there and who intends to exploit his talents for personal financial gain. Includes other side stories of murder and corruption which are made to tie into the main plot. This storyline reads like a screenplay hopeful and given its success as a novel, probably will become one, if only a made-for-television mini-series. Not one of my favourite books but readable.

[tinkerbellkk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is focussed on a marathon runner in a fictional country of Zantoroland. When his family falls apart he escapes to Freedom State hoping to run races to raise money to save himself and his sister.There were many fascinating characters that he meets along the way as he struggles to overcome many obstacles in a country that is corrupt and politically motivated. Many are strong women that contribute to his journey in different ways. I enjoyed the book but felt that the end was just wrapped up too nicely. Given all of his issues, it didn't seem realistic that everything would work out so beautifully. Still worth a read. And I enjoy the author's style of easy writing.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

is the story of an illegal immigrant, Keita Ali, who has fled a corrupt regime that has murdered his father. He is a marathon runner, and is recruited by an agent, but that agent hold Keita's passport and will send him back to his home country after his first race, so Keita flees and goes into hiding.This novel is primarily driven by plot. Mr. Hill does a great job of writing a complex story of corruption, murder, ageism and racism. The book is both a page-turner and an examination of these issues. Some of the characters might not be fully realized, but the main ones were strongly drawn. Some of the plot seemed a bit like watching a TV crime show -- with the need to wrap it up on time -- but overall, I enjoyed this book.

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought this was just plain TERRIFIC! The author pulls so many people and issues of today together but he clearly defines who is who and it's just plain great reading---not a boring page in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it---even though I had it sitting there as a questionable book to read---I'm so glad I got pulled in!

[janismack · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book. It was an easy read on a subject I don't know much about. The main character was likable with an interesting story to tell. the autho's style was a bit simplistic but none the less I was drawn in to the story.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was expecting a little more from this book which was the winner of the 2016 Canada Reads competition. And maybe also because I thought Hill's The Book of Negroes was terrific. It's not that this was badly or even poorly written. I liked the main character. I thought the issues raised are important. In the end though I felt like Hill was trying a little too hard to touch all the bases.Keita Ali is the son of a journalist in the fictional country of Zantoroland. Keita loves to run. His sole dream (pun not intended) is to run in the Olympics. His sister is the brainy one in the family and it is no surprise that she does well enough to go to Harvard. Yoyo Ali, Keita's father, writes articles that are critical of the government in Zantoroland. Before he can finish an article that will show the spread of corruption in the country he is rounded up and killed in prison. Keita manages to leave the country through the offices of an athletic manager. He ends up in the neighbouring country of Freedom State and he escapes from his manager. He has lost touch with his sister but finally hears from her and an official of the Zantoroland government that she is in prison but can be ransomed for a large sum of money. Keita's only chance to get that money is to race so he concentrates on training and evading capture by the immigration officials who want to send him back to Zantoroland. Many people are charmed by Keita and help him. These people include a disabled black lesbian journalist, a feisty older white woman, a black female police officer, a black brothel owner, a smart black elementary student and even a member of the government who is a runner. I suppose that Freedom State is the USA in disguise. Given the rantings of Donald Trump about Mexican illegal immigrants in the US, the timing of this book is very good (and not something Hill could have counted on when he started writing five years ago). The plight of illegal refugees in first-world countries is certainly a topic worth writing about. I just wish Hill had eased up on the political correctness so it didn't feel like I was being hit with a hammer to force the message into my skull.

[maggieflo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is very topical given the situation of Syrian refugees and other migrants who are fleeing civil wars around the globe.Keita Ali is an aspiring marathon runner who is forced to leave the fictional country of Zantaroland when his father is tortured and murdered by corrupt government officials. He ends up in the Freedom State and as an illegal, he needs to hide from government authorities who want to deport illegal migrants from the country. Keita is a good person who manages to attract good people around him who help in his quest to become a citizen and win marathons. The topic is very serious but the story has some wonderfully humorous parts because of some quirky but really well developed characters who make this a very readable and great story with a happy ending.

[writermala · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you thought "book of Negroes," was good well, "The Illegal" is even better. Keita Ali is the hero of the book. He is a marathon runner in the fictitious country of Zantoroland. When things get hot there he escapes to Freedom State hoping he can pursue his burning desire to run there. Instead he gets mired in the politics of that country and has to literally run for his life. A gripping tale of not just one man but a cast of strong personalities around him each of whom contributes to the story in his/her own personal way. Pick it up and you won't be able to put it down.