Brother by David Chariandy

"A story deeply influenced by the setting"

David Chariandy's new novel has already won a sack full of awards at home in Canada, including the Toronto Book Award, and is now available in the UK published by Bloomsbury. The novel is told by Michael who looks back on the series of events that led up to him losing his older Brother, Francis, when they were young men in the 1980s.

This is a story deeply influenced by the setting of Scarborough, a poor migrant neighbourhood in Toronto sometimes referred to by the monikers 'Scarlem' or 'Scardistan'. It is Scarborough that drives the extreme work ethic in the boys' Trinidadian mother who works double shifts to raise her children. It is Scarborough that taints the expectations of the boys who are acutely aware of the social order; 'Even as kids, we learned to be gentle with each other's hoped and dreams'. It is Scarborough that defines the response to a key incident that is described in the first quarter of the novel.

The novel pivots on the murder of a boy at a local convenience store. The neighbourhood becomes a scene of danger and fear which is described effortlessly; 'Even the ordinary clothes that people hung out to dry on laundry lines suddenly looked suspicious. Conspiracies in the open hanging of slacks and saris, in the headless baby jumpers'.

Chariandy's prose is elegant yet contemporary. His characters are believable and authentic yet there is something that gets in the way of the narrative being truly immersive. Mother is the best formed and most memorable character but Michael's childhood girlfriend, Aisha, is less fully fledged . Like Aisha, as a reader we feel slightly too removed from the world of Scarborough.

A thin novel that packs a bigger punch  3.5 

Brother by David Chariandy published by Bloomsbury 249 pages


For a similar read try In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne

In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne

A gritty yet tender debut

“full of absent people stuck between bus stops and bookies”

Gunaratne vividly brings to life the relationship between a group of immigrant men in North London estate. Authentic voices add layers of truth to the back drop of anxiety, unrest and misguided loyalty.

A gritty yet tender debut 4

In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne published by Tinder Press, 304 pages

#am reading Stuffocation, living more with less 

Author: James Wallman

Discovered: Reviewed in the Daily Telegraph

Where read: (in part) In the sun by the Thames at Marlow

What's the story?

James Wallman is a writer, journalist and trend forecaster who sets out, in this book, to present some brilliantly accessible research into mass and post-consumerism. When did we start replacing things before they were worn out and borrowing money to do so?

     

The Word's Shortlist view:

As much as a week in the South of France was the perfect opportunity to binge on fiction I found myself craving some new ideas on my return to work. Afterall, there’s nothing like some life-changing research to clear the post holiday blues! Could Stuffocation be the answer?

‘Stuffocation’, Wallman suggests, is the tipping point at which accumulating more possessions results in anxiety. The book challenges purchase decisions we’ve all made to have the 'latest' or to to keep up with peers (like those pesky Joneses) but then compares that with the ascetic existence of true and committed minimalists.

Wallman concisely tracks the course of consumer history from pre-industrial revolution subsistence to over production and mass consumerism. Research and real life stories, from Barbra Streisand to Mad Men, bring the statistics to life.

So where does all this wind up? Wallman argues (and don't forget he's a proven trend forecaster) that there is a safe place where 'considered consumerism' meets Experientialism. More than de-cluttering and down sizing this is about experience over possessions and about the Millennial obsession with social media fuelled status updates.

Who should read this book?

Is this a book for the affluent of middle England?  Perhaps, but to dismiss the book as middle class is short sighted. Read this book if you've ever faced the decision; new TV or holiday. 

What’s next on the bookshelf

Worst. Person. Ever by Douglas Coupland

Tweet of the week:

Complaints about sexism in literary publishing continue http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/31/male-writers-hide-gender-sell-more-books …

wordsshortlist.blogspot.co.uk

‘The Knife of Never Letting go’ by Patrick Ness is a fantastic achievement – an original work of fiction which delivers drama, suspense, alien landscapes and compelling characters, oh and it just so happens to have been written for the Young Adult market.

The novel is set in Prentisstown, a newly colonised planet that has fragmented into dystopian chaos with warring groups and ideologies. This setting is instantly recognisable to anyone who is living through, or has experienced adolescence, and yet remains uniquely fresh. Our hero Todd, bursting with boyhood naivety, is the perfect symbol of an age. Once we discover that we can hear the thoughts of his loyal canine companion, Manchee we’re hooked.

The action begins from the outset with a succinct writing style that packs a punch and keeps you turning the pages as quickly as the action unfolds. Ness’s stylistic approach appeals to both the young adult and time pressured adult looking to cram a chapter on a lunch-break or commute.

There are bucket loads of clever devices in this novel; the recurring mad preacher villain and the native alien Spackles are well crafted, but the winner is the concept of ‘noise’ – a germ contaminant which allows everyone’s inner thoughts to be audible.  A typographic device is used to convey this concept, see the image below, with some pages literally surrendered to an overload of sound.

Todd’s adventure is fast paced and could have dwelled for longer at times. Certain elements, for example the story of Todd’s adopted family, are rushed and unexplored. Perhaps these themes are revisited in books 2 and 3?

Searching for coming of age fiction, sci-fi action or self-affirming then look no further!!