Another day, another story...

I finished Londonstani by Gautam Malkani today. I got to the end and lost my breath. Its a difficult read. Not because of the complexity if the story, full of exagerated stereotypes of young Asian culture in the UK, but due to the language, innit. If it wasn't for those summers spent in Wembley listening to the boys on the corner, I'm not sure I would have made it through. I was pulling for Jas throughout the entire novel - cursing at him under my breath, wishing he would stand up for himself, be smart, get the girl and dump the mates. In the end he was the one I was upset with, the one that left me with a sense of disbelief. I gasped, flipped through the pages of the book wondering how I could have missed it, but couldn't find even a clue. I sat on the train, looked around and sighed. I felt real emotion. Good debut Mr Malkani, I look forward to more.