Author: Sunjeev Sahota
It is no surprise that this book was a finalist for the Mann Booker Prize in 2015. Sanjeev has written an epic that outlines the struggles that many illegal immigrants face today. One of the reviewers has compared it with Steinbeck's “Grapes of Wrath” and I have to concur that it is just as heart wrenching to read about the plight of three boys whose families are struggling to make ends meet in India. There are no jobs in India and the future looks bleak. Each of them independently decide to try their luck in England and find themselves sharing a house along with a few other illegal Indians. Jobs are very scarce in England and the police are cracking down on illegal employment.
Sanjeev spins a good yarn (quite a few actually, but who is keeping count) in writing about the tough life that these boys face in India. But in coming to England they seem to have leapt from the frying pan into the fire. They are exploited at every opportunity and what is striking is that most of their employers (exploiters) are Indians living in the UK. The graphic descriptions of the poor conditions they live in and the hard work that they are required to do, make for some difficult reading. I kept reminding myself that I was only reading it. There are numerous such immigrants who are living these same nightmares every day.
Most of the Indians in the book are followers of the Sikh religion and I learnt a lot about their customs, traditions and charitable activities, both in India and England. On reading some of the reviews, I realized that there is a plethora of Indian words like “chamaar, Waheguru, etc.” that might confound a reader who hasn’t lived in India. Most of the impact would be lost in translation and so I understand why the author chose to leave them in. However, it seems like he may have alienated many a reader who struggled to keep up with the narrative. Maybe a future edition of the book can include a small set of definitions.
Sanjeev develops the characters really well and you will find yourself rooting for them to succeed. Overall, I was sucked into the narrative and enjoyed reading this book and learning about the challenges that are typical of illegal immigrants in most of the developed world.
