The Pickup
Encyclopedia
The Pickup is a 2001 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 by South African writer Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature when she was recognised as a woman "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity".Her writing has long dealt...

, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. The Pickup considers the issues of displacement, alienation, and immigration, class and economic power, religious faith, and the ability of people to see and love across these divides. It tells the story of a couple: Julie Summers, a white woman from a financially secure family, and Abdu, an illegal Arab immigrant in South Africa. After Abdu's visa is refused, the couple returns to his unnamed homeland, where she is the alien. Her experiences and growth as an alien in another culture form the heart of the work.

Plot Summary

Part OneThe events in part one of the novel all take place in South Africa. In a busy South African street, Julie Summers' car breaks down. She goes asking for the nearest garage, where she meets Abdu. He accompanies her to where she left the car.

Part Two
The events in part two of the novel all take place in Abdu's homeland. In the airport of an unnamed Arab country Julie and Abdu pass through the usual paper work.

List of Characters

  • Julie Summers is one of the protagonists in the novel. She is the daughter of long divorced parents. Her father is a wealthy South African businessman. Her mother is married and lives in California. Julie is 29 years old. She is in the public relations sector
  • Abdu or Ibrahim Ibn Musa is a young handsome man from an unnamed Arab country. He lives in South Africa illegally.
  • Nigel Summers Julie's father.
  • Dr. Archibald or “Uncle Archie” Julie's uncle.
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