I wasn't familiar with many books on this year's Man Booker Prize longlist. I spotted The Water Cure; I spotted the new Sally Rooney. I didn't spot In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne. You may be forgiven if you didn't either: this is another debut, continuing the string of stunning first books that I've come across this year. 2018: the year of the debut. I mean, really.
Interestingly, many people are prejudiced against the book, and I have to admit I was too. In his booktube video on the longlist, Eric (whose videos I would highly recommend by the way) made the assumption - like me - that it's probably a story that's been told too many times before. But he gave it the benefit of doubt, and so did I when I went to see Guy at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this year. And I was so very happy that I did.
Despite the blurb - which mentions the main characters 'growing up' on a London estate - this book spans a very short time frame (two days). It is written from five perspectives: two adults and three young boys, all from different backgrounds, all from different minority groups. The premise is simply this: a young, white man is killed by a young Muslim boy. An extremist. The backlash, the different perspectives and consequences is really what the book tells us about.
What did I like about it?
I enjoy books that take something I know very little about and give me a closer glimpse - and Guy does exactly that with the side of London I'm completely unfamiliar with. The psychological effects of immigration. The clash of cultural heritage and settling in a new community. Being stuck in a certain life and desperately trying to break out of it. This is happening right now, just an hour's tube ride away from me, and I think it takes a certain bravery and sensitivity to take on something so relevant and present. This book does it very tactfully.
The structure of the book is beautiful. There are three large sections, divided into sub-sections with titles such as Ends, Defilement or Square. These are then divided into the different characters' chapters - but each of these will include the title of the sub-section in some subtle or symbolical way. It's gorgeous.
Another point is the pacing and the building tension. Although the two older voices mainly talk about their past - as opposed to the boys, who speak of the present - these draw a perfect parallel. And the story continuously builds towards an inevitably violent end. It's not a surprise, but it is arresting. Short, burst-like chapters characterise the penultimate sections, keeping you turning the pages, unable to pause.
What was I not massively fond of?
Writing a book with five different perspectives, credibly, is not an easy task. (For a good example, read Leone Ross' Come Let Us Sing Anyway - her mastery of language is amazing.) I think Guy does it truly well, for the most part; the two adults certainly sound very different from the younger ones. It's just the boys - more precisely, two of the boys - who I think could have used slightly more differentiation in language. Their defining hobbies (sport/music) helped navigate between them more than their voices.
Around halfway through the book, Yusuf - the third young voice - I feel tips over a bit too much to the artistic side. Although it is true that he is probably the most mature one of the three, the 'ennet's and 'bruv's seemed to stop quite abruptly, to be replaced by "The purity of the spires and sweeping arches, the intricacies of the art gave me mad galaxies to drift away within". It's beautifully written, just felt a bit out of place for a young character.
One cringeworthy scene I would have perhaps avoided: a rap battle taking place at the back of a bus. It made me smile.
A final point on the final chapter (without spoilers): I felt this would have worked better if it mirrored the first chapter, which is written from a collective perspective.
Overall...
I think Guy Gunaratne's book is absolutely worthy of the Man Booker nomination. It rings true, it is extremely well written and - although I hate using this term - it's very timely. It puts pressure on the reader's shoulders. Guides us through a world many of us don't really know.
At his event, Guy said that most of the feedback he got on the book from people who saw themselves in it was 'finally'. Finally, as in there's finally a book about them. And I agree.
To anyone considering reading this, I would say avoid the blurb, because it is misleading. This is not a book about religious extremism. It is an intense, brilliant piece of literary fiction about who we are behind the surface, and our determination.
8/10
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