“Watching Jamila sometimes made me think the world was divided into three sorts of people: those who knew what they wanted to do; those (the unhappiest) who never knew what their purpose in life was; and those who found out later on. I was in the last category, I reckoned, which didn't stop me wishing I'd been born into the first.”
A busy novel, Hanif's first for which he landed "The Whitbread Award for first Novel". Its a collage which showcases the Racism of the 70's, Dogma of immigrants which ruin the lives of their children, a country coming to terms that their best times as a nation were past them, Call for Socialism and Radical changes by dissatisfied youth, and through it all, people trying to find their meaning in life, looking for love, trying to correct their mistakes, and others trying to justify their mistakes till their last day. It is a fascinating work, with nary a dull moment, episodic, and with great characters. all of them with their eccentricities ( see Jamila, Eva, Charlie, Haroon, Changez, Pyke- and I haven't even mentioned our narrator, and protagonist - Karim ).
But if one is observant, one can sense where Hanif has dealt with a little more subtlety to register a point, more so than elsewhere in the novel. One such point I felt so was when Terry, albeit drunk, insists that Karim get donations for his Trotskyist party, probably more due to the latter's Asian background. Karim too obliges - maybe he felt that it was his duty to do so. But Eleanor refuses to donate claiming that the party does nothing for immigrants.
"She smiled at me then, and she said, 'This is the point.They are not a Party for black people. They are an all-honky thing, if you want to know. I’m not giving a bean to that kind of apartheid thing.’"
The other episode which made an impression was the last dialogue in the book between Changez and Jamila - the former shows his hypocrisy, and how he can withstand whatever insults to as long as he has his way at the end. One almost feel relief at the way that Jamila holds her own.
He shouted, ‘What’s wrong with your only husband here and available that you are turning to
perversion? Am I the one single normal person left in England now?’
‘Don’t start. Please, I’m so tired. I’m so happy at last. Try and accept it, Bubble.’
‘And all you here in this house, you good types, talk of the prejudice against this Yid and that black burglar bastard, this Paki and that poor woman.’
‘Changez, this is offensive, this is — ’
‘But what about ugly bastards? What about us? What about our rights to be kissed?’
‘You are kissed, Changez.’
‘After the exchange of pounds sterling only!’
‘Please, let’s go to bed. There are plenty of people who will kiss you. But not me, I’m afraid. Not me. You were imposed on me by my father.’
In essence, one positive that people like Jamila does have, not withstanding the racism that they face in South London, is they can have their own way not withstanding the odds. Yet, Hanif is not afraid to show the Cosmopolitan Liberalism of New York in good stead overall, during a time when London (leave alone rest of England - North of England is painted in poorer light ) was trying to find her way. Another point that one cannot miss is the highly open sexual culture especially of the young. Soon things were to take a very sad turn with HIV hitting the country, but sexual experimentation seemed the sole preoccupation of the young at the time - and in that context, a happy time.
This novel ends on the eve of Margret Thacher era where Karim and his friends have all accepted the changes that had happened in their lives, and are now looking forward to what the future may bring, in this fast changing city, which has been the focus of the world for many a century now.
"And so I sat in the centre of this old city that I loved, which itself sat at the bottom of a tiny island. I was surrounded by people I loved, and I felt happy and miserable at the same time. I thought of what a mess everything had been, but that it wouldn’t always be that way."
A most excellent book, for the type of reader who appreciates contemporary pop culture, post-colonialism, and has a keen eye for nuances of a narration.
Rating: ****1/2
