Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Badar's story truly begins on the day when, aged fifteen, he is brought to Mistress's great house in Dar es Salaam – where he proves a quick learner, and gains the friendship of Karim, the young man of the house.

But then a false accusation sees Badar banished from the place he has come to call home. Exiled, to a run-down hotel on the coast of Zanzibar, Badar must build a new life for himself. And when Karim comes to see his old friend in his new life, he is captivated by temptations that will test the two young men's friendship to a breaking point.