Book Review: Londonstani by Gautam Malkani

If conflict is what drives a novel, Gautam Malkani's debut, Londonstani, has plenty of fuel. Throw in a narrator who tells the story with perception and humor in an argot comprised of English, Punjabi, and urban slang and you're in for an intriguing ride, even if the payoff might leave you skeptical.

Londonstani addresses a variety of internal, generational, racial, religious, and societal conflicts. The story is told entirely from the viewpoint of Jas, who is in his late teens. He lives in the Hounslow district of London, an area bordering Heathrow Airport with a significant immigrant population, many from India and South Asia. They call themselves "desis," a term stemming from the Indian diaspora. But there aren't just desis. Jas and his cohorts watch out for their blud (blood/kin), bredren (brother), bruv (brother), and bhanjis (sisters). They scorn the goras (whites), coconuts (someone with brown skin who acts like they're white), pendhus (fools), and spods (boring inferiors).

Jas' language is such an admixture that Malkani provides a glossary. While somewhat cumbersome at first, the reader eventually picks up on the flow of the jargon, profanity and patter. And it is in this flow, most often when Jas is in a stream of consciousness, that we find the flashes of humor and insight that expose and explore the conflicts.

At heart, Jas is a perceptive and intelligent nerd. Yet he has quelched those attributes in a successful effort to join a small gang of "rudeboys," the desi version of gangstas who pride themselves on their style and fashion. From the standpoint of his favorite teacher and parents — and perhaps himself at times — Jas is throwing away his talents and opportunities to immerse himself in this urban youth culture.

His rudeboy group is led by Hardjit, a Sikh body builder who loves to fight. The other two members are Armit, a Hindu nationalist, and Ravi, who brags about his sexual exploits, seemingly more imagined than real. While subordinate to Hardjit they clearly rank higher than Jas. Yet as tough and independent as they wish to appear, all four still live at home. The classy BMW they ride around in is owned by Ravi's mom. They are part of "the informal economy," reprogramming stolen mobile phones to earn some money here and there.

Article Author: Tim Gebhart

Tim Gebhart lives in Sioux Falls, SD, where he practices law in order to provide shelter for his family, his dogs, and his books. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and his blog de guerre is A Progressive on the Prairie.

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