Jas is the heart of this story… Jas is the specimen Malkani throws into his spotlight, examining everything about him – his desires, his fears, who he was before his little gang picked him up and taught him how to speak like a text message. One of Malkani’s great successes is how he transitions us slowly from Jas’s toughguy front to his true center. There isn’t a moment when we’re not seeing the desi world, these questions of honor and these cultural clashes, from Jas’s eyes – even when he’s obscuring his own cognizance of it behind rudeboy language. It’s a remarkable maintenance of character in a first novel.
See the whole review of Gautam Malkani’s Londonstani today over at Gothamist.
Krissa, your reviews are excellent. Are you getting paid for these? If you ever wanted, I would be happy to mention you to the literary editor at Vanity Fair, he’s a family friend and always on the lookout for good writing. Anyway, just enjoying your writing as ever…drop a note some time.
Red Storm rides again! I’ll be in touch, lady.
And yeah, I do get paid for them, which is appreciated.