"My name is Karim Amir and I am an Englishman born and bred almost".
Karim is the son of an Indian migrant and his English wife, and his only dream is to escape the boredom, the oppression of the racist neighborhood of the suburbs and reap the greater pleasures of the 1970's.
Hanif Kureishi's debut autobiographical novel, The Buddha of Suburbia takes us through the narrow streets of South London and gives us a true taste of youth in revolt. Karim's story is a deliciously witty and satirical account of a third culture kid exploring the realms of art, sex and spirituality in the turbulent waters of the 70's London. His story serves as a political and social collage of what the turn of the decade held for Britain and leaves us inspired, questioning who we are and what we it is that we want of this thing called life.
The story is scattered amongst characters we seem to know- the immigrant father who came from India two decades ago, to study law and go home with his fortune 'like Ghandi' but somehow forgot to return, the Aunt Jeeta, an Indian princess, who sells groceries, and her daughter, the rebellious Jamila who reads Silvia Plath and is forcefully betrothed to the crippled Changez from India.
The Buddha of Suburbia is a rich and inspiring story, one that forms an interesting comparison to the next generation of youths who stand at the turn of a millennium unable to conceive what is expected of them and wonder what they expect of themselves.
Karim is the son of an Indian migrant and his English wife, and his only dream is to escape the boredom, the oppression of the racist neighborhood of the suburbs and reap the greater pleasures of the 1970's.
Hanif Kureishi's debut autobiographical novel, The Buddha of Suburbia takes us through the narrow streets of South London and gives us a true taste of youth in revolt. Karim's story is a deliciously witty and satirical account of a third culture kid exploring the realms of art, sex and spirituality in the turbulent waters of the 70's London. His story serves as a political and social collage of what the turn of the decade held for Britain and leaves us inspired, questioning who we are and what we it is that we want of this thing called life.
The story is scattered amongst characters we seem to know- the immigrant father who came from India two decades ago, to study law and go home with his fortune 'like Ghandi' but somehow forgot to return, the Aunt Jeeta, an Indian princess, who sells groceries, and her daughter, the rebellious Jamila who reads Silvia Plath and is forcefully betrothed to the crippled Changez from India.
The Buddha of Suburbia is a rich and inspiring story, one that forms an interesting comparison to the next generation of youths who stand at the turn of a millennium unable to conceive what is expected of them and wonder what they expect of themselves.
