The Buddha of Suburbia

Rating:
Summary: Controlled Chaos
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Cool
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A story of unraveling lives in an unraveling society.
Review: The Buddha of Suburbia is set in London in the 1970's during the peak of the Punk Revolution. It is a time where the psychological impact of the reality of the loss of Empire is at it's zenith and the explosion in the "ethnic" components of London's population is underway. Society is in a cultural and social upheaval and the world of Karim Amir as presented by Hanif Kureishi serves as an eloquent microcosm of that upheaval.

Karims rather staid middle class London suburban existence is coming apart as the novel opens. His English mother and Indian father's marriage is quickly disintegrating. His father's escape from this disaster is to become the "Buddha of Suburbia", mouthing trite Indian spiritual sayings for desperate middle aged suburban housewives and so forth. When is dad and one of his "disciples" become romantically involved, Karim is introduced into the whirlwind of London punk social life and then thoroughly swept up in the tide, ultimately achieving a measure of true personal success as all around him flounder in overindulgent self-indulgence.

Kureishi does a remarkable job of painting a detailed and well textured portrait of a society in flux during times of economic, artistic and racial turmoil through a cast of characters that adroitly symbolize the various factions of the disintegrating society while maintaining their integrity as fully formed and sympathetic (for the most part anyway) individuals.

I quite liked the book but I feel one should be forewarned that this book does have some rather unsavory, hardcore elements and situations in it that will not be everyone's cup of tea. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, dive right in and enjoy the show.

Rating:
Summary: A story of unraveling lives in an unraveling society.
Review: The Buddha of Suburbia is set in London in the 1970's during the peak of the Punk Revolution. It is a time where the psychological impact of the reality of the loss of Empire is at it's zenith and the explosion in the "ethnic" components of London's population is underway. Society is in a cultural and social upheaval and the world of Karim Amir as presented by Hanif Kureishi serves as an eloquent microcosm of that upheaval.

Karims rather staid middle class London suburban existence is coming apart as the novel opens. His English mother and Indian father's marriage is quickly disintegrating. His father's escape from this disaster is to become the "Buddha of Suburbia", mouthing trite Indian spiritual sayings for desperate middle aged suburban housewives and so forth. When is dad and one of his "disciples" become romantically involved, Karim is introduced into the whirlwind of London punk social life and then thoroughly swept up in the tide, ultimately achieving a measure of true personal success as all around him flounder in overindulgent self-indulgence.

Kureishi does a remarkable job of painting a detailed and well textured portrait of a society in flux during times of economic, artistic and racial turmoil through a cast of characters that adroitly symbolize the various factions of the disintegrating society while maintaining their integrity as fully formed and sympathetic (for the most part anyway) individuals.

I quite liked the book but I feel one should be forewarned that this book does have some rather unsavory, hardcore elements and situations in it that will not be everyone's cup of tea. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, dive right in and enjoy the show.

Rating:
Summary: the buddha of suburbia
Review: The way in which Hanif Kureishi portrays Karim and his family in 1970's London was both exciting yet realistic. As I am studying the book for my English Higher I have found many themes in which I could, and have commented on; such as the way he (Karim) deals with racism, love, life and especially his family. I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys real life drama.

Rating:
Summary: a damn good book
Review: this book hit alot of nerves personally, i identified with his racial struggles and trying to find/create a life outside a family that can be a burden and a privilege. the frank honesty in which it is written is quite gripping and the characters are all lovable, real people i loved and loathed. intense stuff, but it's also incredibly funny. get it, read it and read it again.

Rating:
Summary: Chock Fulla Buddhism, Acid, Sex, and Reflections on Life
Review: This book is the best! Set in England in the early seventies, half-Indian and half-Indian Karim takes us on a first-person journey from suburbia to South London. His father Haroon, a civil servant turned self-proclaimed buddha, leaves Karim's mother for wild Eva, whose son is a rock star. (Incidentally, Karim has a huge crush on the son Charlie.) Karim, who is thoughtful and reflective, has various experiences with sex, drugs, parties, theatre life, and his odd family. This book is a dynamic, funny, exciting page turner. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because it refers to flatulence too often for my taste.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: This book was an excellent example of a post-adolescent boy going through the turmoils of growing up. Karim is painfully honest about himself and his passions, and he apologizes for nothing. I loved this book because it really shows race turbulation in England. It also demonstrates the conflict Karim feels, being English and Indian at the same time. He feels he belongs nowhere, neither here nor there. He does feel comraderie with Jamila and Changez, whom he refers to as his real family. I recommend this book to someone who does not know much about race in England, and wants to learn, or to anyone who enjoys a good story.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: Welcome to a world constructed by genius, humour and frequent moments of radicalism. The Buddha of Suburbia was
awarded the Whitbread Prize for First Noel (1990) and what a stunning debut work it is. Set in the South London suburbs,
Karim Amir is an Indian teenager growing up in the 1970s, learning to cope with adolescence and all its trappings. This frank and imaginative work reveals his personal traumae, loves, desires and wishes whilst he observes those around him with the
same regard that a psychologist has for his patients. The father who changes from civil Servant to 'Buddha of Suburbia', the
teenage rock star, Charlie Hero, who operates as a young Marxist and introduces Karim to sex, drugs and the real life behind a
drab and grey London, each character possesses a vibrancy and colour that contrasts brilliantly with their repressed and
conservative surroundings.

This is the sort of novel which appeals to all age ranges, identifying with teenage angst and confusion, exploring the power of the mid-life crisis and defying the spectre of old age, something Kureishi banishes with panache. From Karim's secret love for his idol, Charlie, and Charlie's descent into the underworld of teenage revolutionaries, The Buddha of Suburbia is the sort of novel which can be read again and again, finding some startling nuance of society each time.

Rating:
Summary: A Book About the Quirkier Side Of London
Review: What makes this book so incredible are the eccentricities of the characters. From Karim's Buddhist/Muslim father to his rock 'n' roll hero/stepbrother/gay lover to his feminist Indian cousin/girlfriend and back to Karim, they never cease to be 'interesting'. Reading this book is like watching an episode of a trashy soap opera, but more interesting.

Besides all the quirkiness, Kureishi does a good job keeping the story line together, thus keeping the reader interested in reading what is going to happen next. I loved the book! I also recommmend watching the movie version after reading this. Naveen Andrews does an excellent job playing the main character!