In many ways, Londonstani is audacious.
I'll give that much to debut novelist Gautam Malkani, an editor at London's Financial Times and the creator of this flawed, messy, and inventive tale of Britain's suburban gangs. Written in a downright chaotic mix of South Asian slang, urban patois, and even cell phone text messages that makes Prince look ahead of his time, it's a slap in the face at first. But once you get past the initial shock and delve into Londonstani's story, it becomes more than the hype that's been heaped upon it.
In any other novel, its middle-class, unremarkable narrator Jas might have just been a clever sidekick or held some nameless cameo in a Working Title film. Here, though, he's the angel who's fallen into hell, largely through his association with a vicious but obtuse gang of Southwest London's rudeboys. They're led by Hardjit, a Sikh bodybuilder who's introduced when he's savagely beating a white boy for calling him a Paki, which may or may not have happened.
I'll give that much to debut novelist Gautam Malkani, an editor at London's Financial Times and the creator of this flawed, messy, and inventive tale of Britain's suburban gangs. Written in a downright chaotic mix of South Asian slang, urban patois, and even cell phone text messages that makes Prince look ahead of his time, it's a slap in the face at first. But once you get past the initial shock and delve into Londonstani's story, it becomes more than the hype that's been heaped upon it.
In any other novel, its middle-class, unremarkable narrator Jas might have just been a clever sidekick or held some nameless cameo in a Working Title film. Here, though, he's the angel who's fallen into hell, largely through his association with a vicious but obtuse gang of Southwest London's rudeboys. They're led by Hardjit, a Sikh bodybuilder who's introduced when he's savagely beating a white boy for calling him a Paki, which may or may not have happened.
The other members of Hardjit's crew include Amit, struggling with his brother Arun, and lothario Ravi, who ravage their suburban neighborhoods with the bravado of big fish in a small pond. 19-year-old Jas, meanwhile, is in way over his head, posturing his way into their circle and hiding his more embarrassing habits, like reading.
There are a couple of things going on here. Like Monica Ali, Malkani is largely dealing with the repercussions of ethnic diaspora once several generations have passed. You can hear it in the boys' self-expressions; they call themselves "Desis," a term that references their lives in perpetual exile, and the post-modernist "Coconut" - brown on the outside, white on the inside. Forced by culture, the British class system and sheer poverty, they struggle to survive in an environment that accepts them as neither British nor Gangsta.
There are a couple of things going on here. Like Monica Ali, Malkani is largely dealing with the repercussions of ethnic diaspora once several generations have passed. You can hear it in the boys' self-expressions; they call themselves "Desis," a term that references their lives in perpetual exile, and the post-modernist "Coconut" - brown on the outside, white on the inside. Forced by culture, the British class system and sheer poverty, they struggle to survive in an environment that accepts them as neither British nor Gangsta.
But where Ali's cultural anthropology is much more focused, Londonstani takes a shotgun approach, blending cultures and aphorisms and pop references at digital speed. The trouble is that it wants to be so many things that it's a fractured reading experience.
In a criminal scheme wholly familiar to anyone who's walked through a London market, the boys start unlocking stolen cell "fones," a logical extension of their hyperactive, technologically aware worldview. They can't see the irony when these dropouts are organized by Sanjay, an older, 'wiser' bloke from their school in Hounslow. They see Sanjay as a guy who made it. Sanjay seems them as nothing but opportunity.
For a while, though, they get to live the high life. Like their rap star heroes, they're fully equipped with pimped-out rides, the latest Nokia tech, and enough bling to make Ali G give props. They also give the reader a detailed tour of London's hippest hot spots. If you could rebuild Dublin from the blueprint given in Ulysses, you could well do the same with London through Londonstani - but you'd only end up with nightclubs and a high-end shopping fetish.
In a criminal scheme wholly familiar to anyone who's walked through a London market, the boys start unlocking stolen cell "fones," a logical extension of their hyperactive, technologically aware worldview. They can't see the irony when these dropouts are organized by Sanjay, an older, 'wiser' bloke from their school in Hounslow. They see Sanjay as a guy who made it. Sanjay seems them as nothing but opportunity.
For a while, though, they get to live the high life. Like their rap star heroes, they're fully equipped with pimped-out rides, the latest Nokia tech, and enough bling to make Ali G give props. They also give the reader a detailed tour of London's hippest hot spots. If you could rebuild Dublin from the blueprint given in Ulysses, you could well do the same with London through Londonstani - but you'd only end up with nightclubs and a high-end shopping fetish.
Fortunately, Malkani knows enough to ramp up the action, throwing challenges at his young protagonists with abandon. Jas courts a beautiful young Muslim girl named Samira whose brothers might kill him if they find out. Amid and Arun deal with their overbearing mother, who's attempting to wreck Arun's engagement. Ravi kisses the girls and makes them cry. Finally, they all get sucked into a high-stakes opportunity to make some real money and it's more than even the brazen Hardjit can handle.
It's hard to pinpoint all of Londonstani's virtues and vices. Without its subtle depth, largely buoyed by a shocking twist that frames the rest of the book in a different light, it might have been just another hipster debut. But because of its unique nature and savage bluster, it still stands up among its brethren. Malkani reportedly imagined his book as a discovery for younger readers and maybe it's best to take it on from that perspective. Like Eminem or Red Bull, it might not be your cup of tea but there's no doubt that something's going down here, dig?
It's hard to pinpoint all of Londonstani's virtues and vices. Without its subtle depth, largely buoyed by a shocking twist that frames the rest of the book in a different light, it might have been just another hipster debut. But because of its unique nature and savage bluster, it still stands up among its brethren. Malkani reportedly imagined his book as a discovery for younger readers and maybe it's best to take it on from that perspective. Like Eminem or Red Bull, it might not be your cup of tea but there's no doubt that something's going down here, dig?
