Hanif Kureishi
1990
Around 290 pages
I was intrigued by the title of this work and this is definitely a fresh perspective on a time in England that I am not too familiar with. But some novels you just don't click with. I think in this case, the disconnect came from his style, which was a bit on the rambling side.
The novel is autobiographical and tells the story of Karim, a teenager who, naturally, dreams of getting out of the suburbs. I guess he's tired of being an island of hope in a sea of sameness (points if you get that reference). Through his work with two theater companies, Karim gets to meet people from different backgrounds, including Terry, who is an active Trotskyist and wants him to join up, or his love interest Eleanor, who is upper middle class but pretends to be working class.
So a coming of age novel that I couldn't relate to at all. Not very much happens and the characters were pretty insufferable (see above, re: Eleanor). But I'm glad the List just keeps getting gayer in storytelling, that's always fun.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
David Bowie wrote and performed the soundtrack for the BBC drama and was a huge fan of the novel.
UP NEXT: Possession by A.S. Byatt
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