Reviews
2.5
i just finished talking to my friend lara mae about this and i think that while this book had a few good moments (which i'm too tired to point out) i felt like it was overly focused on violence and sex and graphic content. it felt as if the writer was taking pleasure in writing about the grotesque so much that whatever point he was trying to make was snuffed out. & that's not to say that i think that every book needs to have a point. it's rare that i dislike a book this much, or give it such a harsh rating; a book is allowed to meander, it's allowed to exist as it is. it's allowed to be however experimental it wants to be. i just don't think that the so-called satire feels like satire anymore; it occasionally feels like an unpleasant exploitation of the struggles of those who are people of colour in britain. i don't think that i would've minded the sex--even its graphic nature--had it been more well-written, for one. i think that the main reason i'm so unsatisfied by this novel is because of its imbalance, because that imbalance doesn't feel intentional in a generous way at all. i didn't need karim to be likeable. i didn't need him to be a good person. in fact, unlikeable characters can often be the best part about a story. this was just overall hard to follow, and at times felt propped up by exaggeration that didn't feel meaningful. there were moments, again, that i appreciated; i will admit that good points were made about the way our society goes about life, that i found myself intrigued when karim grappled with his changing social class, that even better points were made about the exoticisation of POC, especially in the arts. i will say that i appreciated the strong female characters throughout the book, and that i thought the concept of the suburbs vs city was an interesting one. so it may be that this book just isn't for me. i don't think i missed anything, i just don't think that it struck me as particularly compelling beyond what's designed to be "flashy": sex, violence, foul language. i think we all take different things from books. as i reader, i think i wanted more and i didn't get that, and that's okay. at the end of the day, a book's value doesn't depend on one reader. i might read this again one day and realise its merit. for now, i'll settle with this review.
An interesting story about a young man coming of age in 1970s suburban London - deals with issues of sexuality, class, and race. I enjoyed this book, but it seemed a bit fluffy somehow, even though it dealt with serious issues. Maybe I'll check out the TV miniseries version.
