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In Our Mad and Furious City: Winner of the International Dylan Thomas Prize

In Our Mad and Furious City: Winner of the International Dylan Thomas Prize

by Guy Gunaratne (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2019

    $3.80

  • New

    Paperback 2019

    $12.45
Synopsis

'Original, honest voices and a vivid portrayal of a London rarely seen in literature' Paula Hawkins

IN OUR MAD AND FURIOUS CITY is 'a love letter to London's streets' (Stylist): an unforgettable portrait of 48 hours in the life of a housing estate, it was one of the most talked-about debuts of 2018 and will be devoured by fans of THIS IS ENGLAND or THE BRICKS THAT BUILT THE HOUSES.

For Selvon, Ardan and Yusuf, growing up under the towers of Stones Estate, summer means what it does anywhere: football, music and freedom. But now, after the killing of a British soldier, riots are spreading across the city, and nowhere is safe.

While the fury swirls around them, Selvon and Ardan remain focused on their own obsessions, girls and grime. Their friend Yusuf is caught up in a different tide, a wave of radicalism surging through his local mosque, threatening to carry his troubled brother, Irfan, with it.

Provocative, raw, poetic yet tender, IN OUR MAD AND FURIOUS CITY marks the arrival of a major new talent in fiction.

$3.80

Save:$10.18 (73%)

Quantity

8 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 304
 Edition: 1
 Publisher: Tinder Press
Published: 07 Feb 2019
ISBN 10: 1472250214
ISBN 13: 9781472250216

Media Reviews
This is cracking. Original, honest voices and a vivid portrayal of a London rarely seen in literature -- Paula Hawkins
What a voice. What an ear for language. No mean feat to capture the street, the nuance of black experience, the architecture of so many different lives. It's a brave and original piece of work -- Kit de Waal, author of THE TRICK TO TIME
A riotous hymn to urban life... passionate, compelling * Guardian *
The voices and the language are stunning. As is the all the rich detail that really brings the book to life. And I really admire the skill with which each of the narrators is given such beautiful depth of soul. I keep thinking about each of them. The narrative and energy hooked me right from the start and never let go. It really is a very special book - the book we've all been waiting for -- Gautam Malkani, author of LONDONSTANI
A vivid and affecting account of estate life, both blighted by frustration and elevated by dreams we can all recognise and share. Guy's characters are drawn with compassion and flair, and I was captivated by their humanity -- Stephen Kelman, author of PIGEON ENGLISH
A blazing, swaggering, polyphonic debut. Here is London through the eyes of those 'with elsewhere in their blood'. Gunaratne has a ventriloquist's command of voice, a film-maker's eye, and talent to burn -- Simon Wroe, author of HERE COMES TROUBLE
A timely read, addressing the urgent questions of our divided society. We're sure Guy is set for big things * Metro *
A blistering debut unlike anything I've read before. This is a powerful, raw, yet heartrending account of 48 hours on a London estate * BBC.co.uk *
Gritty, grotesque; graceful and beautiful. This is the London that we call home -- J J Bola
This novel is a love letter to the language of London's streets and to its people, but also a blistering look at a city on the edge that'll sweep you up until you reach the book's breathless, devastating conclusion * Stylist *
The prose remains alive, alert and subtly integrated, with various accents and non-standard Englishes raising themselves up to the same very high literary watermark. This is one of the hardest things to pull off for a prose stylist. The Dominican-born American writer Junot Diaz is, possibly, the finest living exponent of it. Gunaratne is no doubt on his way. What you are left with - always a treat though not by any stretch as essential to all writing as some would have you believe - is a prose that benefits from being read aloud. But more so, a prose that just plain deserves to be read * Irish Times *
A beautiful, fierce storm of a book, full of courage and hope -- Jackie Morris, author of The Lost Words
In Our Mad and Furious City is fraught and heartbreaking at the same time, with a biting, in-your-face clarity to it that you can't ignore. It's a searing marvel of a novel * Belfast Telegraph *
In Our Mad and Furious City is our favourite debut of 2018. Gunaratne draws on growing up in north-west London in this tale of 48 hours on a council estate, where three young boys dream of escaping * Glamour *
This riotous hymn to urban life takes a passionate, compelling look at youth culture * Guardian *
Two days of race riots, three teenage boys on a north London estate and a grittily realistic patois throughout make this debut glitter despite the darkness * Evening Standard *
Already hailed as a modern masterpiece, this timely and authentic portrayal of life for young men living on our city estates is as mesmerising as it is vital * Heat *
Author Bio
Guy Gunaratne grew up in North West London and has worked as a designer, documentary filmmaker and video journalist covering post-conflict areas around the world, as well as co-founding two technology companies. He was shortlisted for the 4th Estate/Guardian Books B4ME Short Story Prize.