The Buddha of Suburbia is the third book by Hanif Kureishi that I have read. I was not very impressed with Kureishi's books in the past but I went ahead and picked up this book as it was part of the 1001 books list and I had heard some rave reviews about it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the 1001 books, it is an evolving list of some great books spanning 3 centuries, including some of the contemporary titles. I am slowly getting used to Kureishi's writing style but this book did seem to be a let down.
The protagonist in the Buddha of Suburbia is Karim, a disillusioned teenager living in a dingy London suburb. Being the son of a an Indian Muslim father and an English mother, he feels trapped in a world he does not fully comprehend. He is in awe with the London lifestyle and believes his liberation lies in getting there. Meanwhile his father has taken to the eastern philosophies of yoga and meditation and is charming his way through the minds of the confused suburbans.
Kureishi has touched upon some very immoral themes in this book ,with a certain callousness that can leave the reader a bit bemused but far more confused. His characters live in a state of constant squalor that can even go as far as disgusting at times. The story seemed to simply drift from the suburbs to the city as did the characters. There was a wide ensemble of characters but all the characters lacked a certain punch.
There was also an underlying contradiction in the novel. Karim, although, born in England to an English mother seemed to associate more with his Indian self. He believed himself to be an Indian immigrant rather than one of the English. Considering his half-English origins, bundled with the fact that he had never set foot in India would have quite easily disqualified him from the immigrant status. But Kureishi made him out to be the unfortunate immigrant and the tale told through an immigrant's perspective.
To do the book some justice, I need to mention that the irreverent humour, at places, did seem to truly make me laugh. Kureishi handled Karim's transformation from the role of observer as he tramps along the suburbs, to observed as he frolics along the streets of London, quite well.
The book is really not worth your while. But if you have heard of Hanif Kureishi and would like to try his books, then this is probably a better bet.
Book Rating - 2.5/5
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters is the next review steaming in the background. So don't miss out on it.
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