The Buddha of Suburbia

Having recently come across the 1990's film, "My Beautiful Laundrette" streaming on a subscription channel a few weeks ago, I was inspired to delve back into other writing's by the movie's screenwriter, Hanif Kureishi. That connected me with another of his excellent works, the novel "The Buddha of Suburbia" which I had originally read not long after it was first published in 1990. I ordered the book, reread it, and was perhaps more impressed this time than I was with the first reading all those years ago. The central character of his novel is Karim Amir, a young man who is just finishing his public schooling and whose parents hope that he is headed toward enrolling in a university. Karim is an English youth living in the suburbs of London with his English mother, "Mum," a plump, unassuming woman who manages the house and takes care of the needs of Karim and his younger brother, Ali, and their father, Haroon. Mum also works part-time at a shoe store to help supplement the family income. Karim and Ali have never been to India, the birthplace of their father, but they have dark skin and Indian features and are home in the British Indian community. Haroon, Karim's father, is the title character of the novel. He was born in Bombay as one of the younger children of a wealthy doctor, and emigrated to Britain on his own as a teen. Haroon, who grew up privileged with a full assortment of servants, found work in England as a paper-pusher in a government office, but when he is home he is content to relax and let Mum wait on him hand-and foot. As the story opens, Haroon has been studying the teachings of the Buddha and has been attending upscale parties hosted by his new friend, Eva. Haroon sits on the floor at these parties and, in the character of the Buddha, begins imparting Indian and Buddhist pholosophies on the entranced guests. Karim, who has a habit of falling enthusiastically in love with women or men, as long as they are interesting and attractive, is in love with his old schoolmate, Charlie, who is Eva's son. Charlie is a singer with his own band - and he has dreams of becoming a rock star on the order of David Bowie. One evening after Karim and Charlie have had a close, but not quite overtly sexual, encounter in Charlie's room in his mother's attic, and while Haroon has been doing his Buddha thing for Eva's guests downstairs, Karim goes outside for a solitary walk in Eva's garden. It is there that he see's Haroon and Eva having sex on a garden bench, and it is there that Karim realizes that his life will soon change forever. "The Buddha of Suburbia" is a beautifully written story that explores life and love in Great Britain as the country is slipping from it Victorian grandeur into the graffiti-sprayed world of modern times. It explores the suburban existence, immigrant communities, life in London and New York, the theatre scene, rock culture, communal living, the drug culture, and life in "squats." But perhaps more than anything else, "The Buddha of Suburbia" is a treatise on race and culture written at a time when walls appeared to be crumbling. Hanif Kureishi is an amazing writer. You will not be disappointed in any of his works.

My purchase was good. It was used, and I may have purposely bought it like that, even though I only try to purchase books that are "like new" or "new." It was sent on time and I have no issues, besides the quality of the outside of the book. Okay, this book is probably one of the greatest pieces of contemporary literature that is available today. It follows Karim, born in England as a second generation Indian to parents, both with ties back to that country. The mother wants to remain tied, but the father loves the idea of this new, first-world ideals and freedom. Karim goes through life now knowing where he belongs, because of his obvious skin tone and his surroundings. It takes place over many years and you see various things happen to Karim. This book has drug use, sexuality, sensuality, and more, but it is just one of those coming-of-age novels that is BRILLIANT. It is a must-read for those who like to read, have an identity crisis, or anything. It's that good and it is something that should be read by most adults.

Took me quite a while to read and had a hard time focusing on the books. Bought for a college Enlglish class

One of my favourite books of all time. Read it when it was first published and just reread it to see if it held up. It was Kureishi's first book and he has proven he was not a one book wonder. I think it may have been one of the earliest books about the South Asian experience in the UK. I would put this up there with Brick Lane and White Teeth as interesting reads on contemporary life in the multicultural UK.

What an amazing book! Truly one of a kind. Kureishi did a wonderful job of toning down some of the horrible and painful aspects of the story through Karim's comically insightful lens. The book is vivid and uninhibited. The characters are all so interesting in how they interact with each other and with their world. They're so full of life that I couldn't help but imagine that they were real people. A genuinely funny and thought-provoking novel.

I'll leave plot synopses up to the other reviewers, but I personally enjoyed this book. This may not be enjoyable for those who aren't already accustomed to Hanif Kureishi's form of humor, as it can definitely get a little "out there" at times. Recommended for those interested in learning more about the intersectional experiences of race, culture, and sexuality in 1970s London or fans of great modern literature.

One of the best books of its era that I reread recently, grateful to discover that it really does stand the test of time. Funny, original, moving, evocative, plausible, packed full of wry social commentary and tender towards even its most monstrous characters. And such a distinctive voice! A book to relish.

I am sorry to say that it is annoying... I left it in the middle of the story. However, I can say that it gives a good idea of how Indians live and are integrated in England..besides this I am a little bit disappointed by Kurieschi...

Es ist die Zeit der frühen Punkbewegung und gleichzeitig auch eine Zeit, in der sich in Großbritannien so Einiges im Wandel befindet. Karim lebt in einem der Londoner Vororte und erlebt Zeit seines Lebens als Sohn eines Pakistanis allerlei Rassismus, den er aber auf Grund seiner Jugend zunächst als nicht zu hinterfragenden Bestandteil seines Lebens wahrnimmt. Ihm liegen ganz andere Dinge am Herzen. Sein Vater gleicht nicht nur figürlich einem lachenden Buddha, sondern hat sich ausnehmend mit Yoga, Buddhismus und Taoismus beschäftigt und so langsam kommt er nun – trotz seiner Hautfarbe und seines Akzents – in einem Teil der britischen Gesellschaft an – und besonders bei den Freundinnen und Freunden einer ehrgeizigen Dame namens Eva, deren Sohn Charles gut mit Karim befreundet ist – bis hin zu sehr intimen Freundschaftsbekundungen. Da kommt Karim der Auftritt seines Vaters als buddhistischer Lehrer in Evas Haus gerade recht, doch er muss wenig später entsetzt feststellen, dass Eva und sein Vater ebenfalls intimes Interesse aneinander haben – und dies auch ausleben. In der Folge wird der heranwachsende Karim immer verwirrter in seinem Umfeld, wobei er aber ob seiner Attraktivität und seiner Neigung Mutter- und Beschützerinstinke zu wecken auch eine Menge Verwirrung bei anderen Leuten anrichtet. Es geht um das britische Klassensystem, um den Umgang mit der Zuwanderung und dem mit den Zugewanderten. Es geht aber um die Frage, wie man im Verlaufe des Aufstiegs immer wieder zu versuchen versucht ist, seine Persönlichkeit seinem neuen Level anzupassen, und wie sehr dies zu Verunsicherungen führt. Auch geht es darum wie die britische Mentalität – gerade in Kontrast zur amerikanischen Mentalität – mit Erfolg umgeht. Und mit Sex. „East is East“ greift die Situation der Pakistaner in Großbritannien in den 70ern sicherlich härter auf, aber dort bewegt man sich auch vorwiegend in der sogenannten Parallelgesellschaft. „Der Buddha“ hingegen zeigt einmal stark den Versuch Teil eines neuen Landes zu werden – gerade, wenn man dort – zusammen mit den Problemen, die Rassismus und Vorurteile auf beiden Seiten dabei mit sich bringen. Dabei werden viele rassistische Handlungsweisen zu Beginn als vergleichsweise normalisiert dargestellt, wie sie jemand, der damit aufwächst auch oft wahrnimmt. Was diese Darstellungen fast noch verstörender macht, als hochdramatisierte Darstellungen, wie etwa in „American History X“. Gleichzeitig ist es, wie erwähnt, auch eine Geschichte über das Erwachsenwerden – und zwar nicht nur das Karims, sondern auch einiger anderer Protagonisten, der Punkmusik, modernen Theaters und der Esoterik. Dabei bei aller gelegentlicher Vulgarität auch ein Buch der leisen Klänge. Mir hat es sehr gefallen.

Bellissimo libro, consigliato, è divertente e irriverente, la storia intriga e si entra in sintonia con il protagonista, le sue vicende e gli altri personaggi. Un bel tuffo dell'Inghilterra del periodo, dal punto di vista di un adolescente da una parte confuso, in balia di mode e tendenze giovanili, e dall'altra volenteroso di entrare nel mondo, di avere una relazione affettiva sincera nonostante la sua ricerca dei piaceri della vita, in modo anche in parte sfacciato.

Good read, will keep you grinning/sniggering throughout. If you are looking for a light read with a witty narrative, give this one a go. Hanif kureishi has a way of gripping your interest through his writing and will keep your head buried in his book. I look forward to reading more of his books in future.

This is a very funny novel. it is also a very insightful novel. it was first published in 1990. yet its theme is even more important today in this era of populism and nativism. The fundamental purpose of this novel is to demonstrate issues of ethnicity, race and personal identity. The novel examines the mutability of race and culture. Karim, the protagonist, lives in London as the son of a Indian businessman immigrant and a native born English mother. Beyond the issues of race and culture, Karim is also affected by the English class system. The novel is quite effective in this. It mixes humour with quite effective social examination.

fantastic... Before reading this book, I had no idea of the kind of hate Asian immigrants were subjected to in 60s Britain. I was so enthralled by the book that I watched the 4 part BBC series which stars Naveen Andrews and Roshan Seth + David Bowie's music. The series has been terrifically adapted. Go read the book, go watch the series on Youtube. This is simply fantastic. PS: Not too concerned about overtly sexual language as I see in other reviews. Sure it's there but doesn't derange the reader and throw him off balance.