Books
by Hanif Kureshi
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Gabriel's Gift |
It's the story of a talented teenager. He lost his twin brother when he was two but he still 'communicates' with him. His parents, old hippies are artists and failures at the same time and they separate at the beginning of the book. All Gabriel's efforts are devoted to bringing them back together. Will he succeed? I'm not going to tell, but Kureishi's book is moving and well written.
(Laurence Martin Euler - bwl 9 June 2001) |
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Midnight All Day |
The cover illustration on my edition is grey, slightly disorientating and very stylish. Which is exactly how I found this collection of short stories around the themes of unrequited or impossible emotion. I avoid the word 'love' because it's not always that easy - characters are complex, their actions not always laudable and sometimes the visceral wrench of yearning seems to be an end in itself. No happy endings - but you'd feel cheated if there were.
(Clive Yelf - bwl 34 April 2006) |
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The Body |
Amazing reading! Amongst these eight short stories, the longest and the best is 'The Body' in which a writer learns from a casual acquaintance that there is a hospital where mysterious doctors can transfer your brain into a younger body of your choice. Being a writer he is tempted to try it, as an experiment just for six months. Unfortunately, he's going to find himself trapped!
(Laurence Martin Euler - bwl 22 February 2004) |
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The Buddha of Suburbia |
Recipe for this tasty and enjoyable meal of a book: First take a mix of less than attractive, but certainly individual, characters. Add areas of confusion and concern such as race, sex and power. Have them struggle with and against each other in an attempt to form some sort of equilibrium in their lives. Set it in the early seventies with a background of punk and the National Front, then sit back and enjoy the results!
(Clive Yelf - bwl 23 April 2004) |
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