Londonstani

Londonstani

by Gautam Malkani (Author)

Synopsis

'Londonstani', Gautam Malkani's electrifying debut, reveals a Britain that has never before been explored in the novel: a country of young Asians and white boys (desis and goras) trying to work out a place for themselves in the shadow of the divergent cultures of their parents' generation. Set close to the Heathrow feed roads of Hounslow, Malkani shows us the lives of a gang of four young men: Hardjit the ring leader, a Sikh, violent, determined his caste stay pure; Ravi, determinedly tactless, a sheep following the herd; Amit, whose brother Arun is struggling to win the approval of his mother for the Hindu girl he has chosen to marry; and Jas who tells us of his journey with these three, desperate to win their approval, desperate too for Samira, a Muslim girl, which in this story can only have bad consequences. Together they cruise the streets in Amit's enhanced Beemer, making a little money changing the electronic fingerprints on stolen mobile phones, a scam that leads them into more dangerous waters. Funny, crude, disturbing, written in the vibrant language of its protagonists - a mix of slang, Bollywood, texting, Hindu and bastardised gangsta rap - 'Londonstani' is about many things: tribalism, aggressive masculinity, integration, cross-cultural chirpsing techniques, the urban scene seeping into the mainstream, bling bling economics, 'complicated family-related shit'. It is one of the most surprising British novels of recent years.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 362
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 02 Apr 2007

ISBN 10: 0007231768
ISBN 13: 9780007231768
Prizes: Shortlisted for British Book Awards: Writer of the Year 2007.

Media Reviews

`The aspirational gangsta swirls us into a bhuna of gang-fights, inter-faith romance and organised crime, and the dizzying humour that underpins his voice is sharp, clever and convincing...In a linguistic politics redolent of Sam Selvon, Victor Headley and Irvine Welsh, Malkani conveys with elan and expertise, through a sub-urban desi-dialect , the absurdity of adolescence and the complex self deceptions of contemporary cultural dynamics in the UK.' Independent

`Malkani has some interesting observations about identity and the way in which the culturally oppressed can take strength from their exclusion. The end is a complete surprise and forces the reader to question the skin-deep assumptions we make about race.' Sunday Telegraph

` Londonstani is a bold debut, brimming with energy and authenticity.' Observer

`If you're going to read one yoofy, urban book this summer, make sure it's Londonstani !' Arena Magazine

'With Londonstani , Gautam Malkani has written one of the most vibrant and fresh first novels in years, innit.' BBC Collective magazine

Author Bio

Gautam Malkani was born in Hounslow. He edits the Financial Times Creative Business Pages. This is his first novel.