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A push or kick of the door triggers something which is more grating car alarm than charming shop bell. To Arjan Banga, returning to the Black Country after the unexpected death of his father, his family's corner shop represents everything he has tried to leave behind - a lethargic pace of life, insular rituals and ways of thinking. But when his mother insists on keeping the shop open, he finds himself being dragged back, forced into big decisions about his imminent marriage back in London and uncovering the history of his broken family - the elopement and mixed-race marriage of his aunt Surinder, the betrayals and loyalties, loves and regrets that have played out in the shop over more than fifty years. This book tells the story of three generations of a family through the prism of a Wolverhampton corner shop - itself a microcosm of the South Asian experience in the country: a symbol of independence and integration, but also of darker realities.… (more)
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This review is from: Marriage Material (Kindle Edition)
Set among a community of Sikh shopkeepers in Wolverhampton, this novel starts off with alternate chapters focussing on Surinder (a rebellious teenage
I found this a moderately interesting read, and very funny in parts. From the chapters, each named after a relevant publication, from 'Asian Trader' to 'Penthouse', to the author's observations on life in retail:
'Dealing with people paying for Mars bars with £20 notes; giving detailed directions to surly motorists who buy nothing in return; dishing out copies of Asian Babes to shameless septuagenarians ... My God, the chit-chat. "Ow bin ya? Bostin day, ay it? It ay stop raining in yonks. Weren't the Blues good yesterday?" '
I would say I enjoyed the earlier part most, especially Surinder's home life. As their lives moved on, the story seemed somewhat less convincing.
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823.92 |