Review: First novel gets inside the mind of a man
Sunjeev Sahota conjures a similarly dizzying effect with his extraordinary debut novel.
Ours are the Streets is a memoir of Imtiaz Raina and the accent in which the book is written is pure Sheffield. However, Imtiaz is no typical son of the city. A trip to Pakistan leads to a visit to Afghanistan from which he returns a changed man. He brings back with him vivid memories of the brute strength of occupying American forces and twisted notions of revenge on the West.
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Hide AdWhat Sahota creates is not an exploration of the psyche of a suicide bomber, but an exploration of a man. Reminsicent of Hanif Kureishi's Intimacy, in which a man confesses infidelities to himself and his wife through his writings, Sahota brings to life a damaged young man who was so close to a life of utter normality.
One decision, like the flap of butterfly wings that lead to a tropical storm, sets in motion an inexorable journey for Imtiaz. Like a more damaged version of Adrian Mole, there is humour and pathos here. It would be easy to dismiss Imtiaz as a lunatic, were his voice not so familiar and written with such clarity in this highly impressive first novel that sets out not to offer answers, but to explore the mind of a man.