I found this story quite an easy read, it seemed to flow well and by the end the Nigerian dialect was, asweh, firmly stuck in my head! Like last year's 'Room' the story is told from the viewpoint of a young boy; I guessed him to be about 12. I quite enjoyed the book, didn't read anything too much into it except for it being a portrayal of London gangs and Nigerian immigrants.
I liked the Auntie Sonia character, and felt sorry for her being obliged to stay with the cruel gangster she'd shacked up with. Her story made me wonder whether there was any truth in illegal immigrants burning their fingertips to avoid detection. Having seen a documentary recently on Nigerian child smuggling, it wouldn't surprise me.
As much as I enjoyed the book, I am still quite bemused by the pigeon prose. I mean, seriously? It felt like the author had come up with the title before the content and then needed something to turn it into a pun. I even caught myself looking at the pigeons in my garden and wondering how anybody could ever think they'd be watching over us! I presume the pigeon was meant to be symbolic in some way; one in a million but has its own feelings and experiences? But it just sat so awkwardly to me.
I, naively, didn't predict the ending and when it came, it was very sudden. And then when I saw the Damilola Taylor Trust credit at the back, it seemed to lend the whole story (minus the damn pigeon) a lot more credibility, which really pleased me.
For what felt like a good insight based on fact: 7/10.
The narrator is a little boy who has moved to London with his Mum and sister leaving his Dad and baby sister back in Nigeria. I liked the flow of the story, and his character and those of the other characters were well portrayed. I particularly liked the contrast between life in Nigeria and London - it really highlighted the differences and how difficult it must be to adjust to a totally different way of life. A story of modern multicultural life - at least how I imagine it based on things I read and pick up on TV. And that is maybe the issue I had with it - it was a bit clichéd and stereotypical, from the children swearing on the playground to the gangs marauding it to the ending (Although I know it is based on a true story) I felt myself wishing that the characters could do something unexpected or unpredictable and surprise me! And the pigeon......a silly literary device which didn't work....shoot it I say, the book would not have lost anything! 6/10
I found this story quite an easy read, it seemed to flow well and by the end the Nigerian dialect was, asweh, firmly stuck in my head! Like last year's 'Room' the story is told from the viewpoint of a young boy; I guessed him to be about 12. I quite enjoyed the book, didn't read anything too much into it except for it being a portrayal of London gangs and Nigerian immigrants.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Auntie Sonia character, and felt sorry for her being obliged to stay with the cruel gangster she'd shacked up with. Her story made me wonder whether there was any truth in illegal immigrants burning their fingertips to avoid detection. Having seen a documentary recently on Nigerian child smuggling, it wouldn't surprise me.
As much as I enjoyed the book, I am still quite bemused by the pigeon prose. I mean, seriously? It felt like the author had come up with the title before the content and then needed something to turn it into a pun. I even caught myself looking at the pigeons in my garden and wondering how anybody could ever think they'd be watching over us! I presume the pigeon was meant to be symbolic in some way; one in a million but has its own feelings and experiences? But it just sat so awkwardly to me.
I, naively, didn't predict the ending and when it came, it was very sudden. And then when I saw the Damilola Taylor Trust credit at the back, it seemed to lend the whole story (minus the damn pigeon) a lot more credibility, which really pleased me.
For what felt like a good insight based on fact: 7/10.
The narrator is a little boy who has moved to London with his Mum and sister leaving his Dad and baby sister back in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteI liked the flow of the story, and his character and those of the other characters were well portrayed. I particularly liked the contrast between life in Nigeria and London - it really highlighted the differences and how difficult it must be to adjust to a totally different way of life.
A story of modern multicultural life - at least how I imagine it based on things I read and pick up on TV. And that is maybe the issue I had with it - it was a bit clichéd and stereotypical, from the
children swearing on the playground to the gangs marauding it to the ending (Although I know it is based on a true story) I felt myself wishing that the characters could do something unexpected or unpredictable and surprise me!
And the pigeon......a silly literary device which didn't work....shoot it I say, the book would not have lost anything!
6/10