The Buddha of Suburbia

by Hanif Kureishi

Book Overview

"A wickedly funny novel" (The New York Times) from the author of SHATTERED

"There was one copy going round our school like contraband. I read it in one sitting...I'd never read a book about anyone remotely like me before."--Zadie Smith

My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost...

The hero of Hanif Kureishi's debut novel is dreamy teenager Karim, desperate to escape suburban South...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014013168X
• ISBN13: 9780140131680
• Release Date: May 1991
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A Joy Ride!

I never wanted to part ways with the eccentric characters of this fast paced, hilarious novel. I loved Karim and his extra-ordinary family, flaws and all. And I cared for their welfare. Set in London of the 1960s - the author skillfully introduces the reader to the racist abuses, class and existential struggles of that era that are still true today most likely.If you are tired of the predictable works of most contemporary authors and eager for something with a little snap, spice and depth, look no further. The language alone will STAGGER you.I am in love with Hanif Kureishi.Good Job!

The Zen Center of Chaos

Brilliant, funny, pointed and touching. Kureishi's "Buddha of Suburbia" is a look at race relations in England, the aspirations of youth and the problems of family. All of this is put right under the surface of a story narrated by the English born adolescent, half Pakistani, half British young man called Karim. Karim is so self involved that he has little idea of what is going on around him, and it is through his heavily biased eyes that events show themselves to us.Everything that is revealed to us, from his family's turmoil, Karim's own greed, his neglect of his family during this difficult time, his aspirations to become famous, and above all else: to get laid, all of this comes sneaking past the bewildered young protagonist.His friends, family and co-workers are all wonderfully colorful characters that represent the full spectrum of clichés and stereotypes in the London suburbs of the 1970's. These people are all trying to live and to get by in their own ways, and Karim in anticipation of the American "Reagen 1980's" is trying to make sure that the world will give him everything that he desires.Kureishi is such a brilliant stylist that we forget that he has created these characters and that Karim is not in fact telling us this story. His prose style is superb and flowing. The plot flows and entertains us while many complex and human themes are revealed in a bare nakedness that amazes the reader, without becoming "preachy" or overly pastoral.This is not just an amazing social commentary, though it is that, but rather in fact, a wonderful and fully entertaining romp through the Suburbs of London, the city itself and even the U.S.'s East coast during the 1970's.

Controlled Chaos

The Buddha of Suburbia is a coming-of-age novel that takes place in the suburbs near London in the 70s. Although its `Indians in England' theme could easily have become an overly earnest exploration of ethnicity and gender and culture, Kureishi has the sense to spare us all that. Instead he's written a hilarious but often touching story in which the wit and energy of individuals are what's important. Karim Amir, the narrator, is a 21-year-old Englishman of Indian descent who's at a crossroads in his life. He's waiting for something important to happen, but, uncertain as to what that thing is exactly, ends up just sort of hanging out, going from place to place. This gives the book a kind of wandering and aimless feel. You have several different plot lines: Karim's father leaving his mother for a London socialite and simultaneously becoming an Indian buddha adored by upper class white people; Amir's ultra-feminist friend Jamila having sex in bathrooms, studying martial arts in preparation for the Revolution, and being forced to marry a sheepish fat man from India because her father threatens to starve himself to death; Karim himself, joining an acting group to become famous but playing a ridiculous Mowgli in a production of the Jungle Book; Karim's ambitious and self-obsessed friend, Charlie, becoming a rock star and pressing the limits of sexuality by having hot candle wax dripped on his penis. These events don't make for the most cohesive plot, but the characters themselves more than make up for it. You see Karim's parents and friends and associates as kind of sad and pathetic and funny and frustrated little people. Whereas others are intimidated or inspired or in awe of them, Karim is able to sit back and laugh at it all. There are some great moments here: My favorite is when Changez-the sheepish, fat, Arthur Conan Doyle-worshipping Indian Jamila has been forced to marry-somehow manages to clobber his father-in-law in the head with a dildo. It's one of the many scenes that are funny in a sleazy, I-shouldn't-be-laughing-at-that kind of way. Although this book is a lot of fun to read, what really takes it to the next level is Karim's constant, gnawing sense of isolation and uncertainty about the future. Karim sees the people around him as examples of what he could become, and he senses who is pure and who isn't, and more than anything he wants to remain interesting and malleable and inspired; he's terrified of the boredom and misery associated with growing up in suburbia. I read this book when I want to be reminded of the importance of paying attention and having sex in bathrooms and laughing and taking chances and refusing to settle down.

WHATS WITH THE DOG?

While the narrator is even tempered and very much a reliable, steady narrator, he hungers for the bizarre, yet realizes the limitations of that search when he sees his rocker friend. It is an amazing picture of 1970's London, and a searing picture of race relations in that city. The characters are all engaging, and the way the plot revolves around the development of Karim as an actor is great. There's a part when he is talking about his relationship and experiences with his Indian girl-friend that epitomizes the book, "so sometimes we were afro-american, and sometimes we were ... , but we were supposed to be English." Sorry, I don't have the book in front or I'd complete the quote, name the girl, and even tell you the page. But give me a helpful vote anyway because it's good for my ego and good for your soul.

Best Picture of London that I've seen

I loved this book, it was enjoyable to read through the description of London and the scenes and the dress and the narrator had this exciting, yet somewhat reserved and very real and honest relation to the reader. The book is very much about acting, in many ways, trying on characters, and becoming them, from the actual career of Karim, to the role of his father as 'buddha of suburbia' to charlie hero and the marxists. The book is honest and introspective but doesn't get bogged down or lose its sense of humor. I want to say its not silly, but it has its silliness, which I like. Furthermore, I don't think there is a more vivid description of 1970's London that I could imagine, I even can see the geography, the differences in different areas of London. The dress, the music, all of it is wonderful in creating a world that one can immerse oneself into while reading. I can't wait to watch the movie. The sex and the longing and all is very british to me, the racism described in that matter-of-fact way, the vulnerability and the weakness underlying Indians in London, the sadness in lives that are unfulfilled against the backdrop of gray london while Karim is full of color and life just make this book a joy.