the buddha of suburbia by hanif kureishi

I hated the flood of opinion, the certainty, the easy talk about Cuba and Russia and the economy, because beneath the hard structure of words was an abyss of ignorance and not-knowing and, in a sense, of not wanting to know.” “People who were only ever half right about things drove me mad. Even when Kureishi descends into absurd fights and orgiastic filth there’s an undercurrent of humanity flowing beneath – indeed, there would have to be. Yet the humour never strangles the dialogue and it’s hard not to become investigated in the various characters, from the relationships of Haroon and Eva, Anwar and Jamila, Jamila and Changez, Karim and, well, everyone. It’s a charmingly written work with a wry sense of humour, running the gamut between dry observation, outright obscenity, and satirical caricature.

But when an opportunity to work in theatre presents itself, his life suddenly finds direction. Karim’s life is, in short, falling apart. Meanwhile, Karim has fallen in love with his best friend and has given up on his classes, his dad is having an affair, and his radical cousin Jamila is being forced into an arranged marriage to a deeply conservative man who stipulates the collected works of Conan Doyle as part of his dowry.

The titular Buddha is Karim’s dad, Haroon, who, despite being raised in a Muslim family, is reciting Buddhist wisdom at middle class parties. The Buddha of Suburbia sees Karim Amir navigating difficult teenage years in suburban South London in the 1970s. You resolve to be your mature self, to react in this considered way rather than that elemental way, to breathe evenly from the bottom of your stomach and to see your parents as equals, but within five minutes your intentions are blown to hell, and you’re babbling and screaming in rage like an angry child.” “Maybe you never stop feeling like an eight-year-old in front of your parents.

Firstly with Edward St Aubyn’s Patrick Melrose series, then prompting me to finally read Philip Roth, and now she’s got me reading Hanif Kureishi. Her effusive praise of multiple authors has compelled me on a collision course with a number of authors. She’s an excellent author in her own right, one of my favourites, but her influence runs deeper thanks to her essay collection Feel Free. Zadie Smith is determined to leave her mark on my reading habits.

The buddha of suburbia by hanif kureishi