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A review by oliainchina
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
3.0
The book was praised many times and shortlisted for Booker in 2015, so I’ve had high expectations before starting it.
The novel centers on the lives of four Indians, who try to carve a place for themselves in the UK, all of them from different social strata: a UK born Sikh girl, a brahmin boy, a merchant’s son, and an untouchable from Bihar, the poorest region of India. Their lives in the UK are described in great detail, which made me cringe sometimes - there was so much pain and injustice. The novel well supports the idea of a caste system that persists in the UK among Indian immigrants.
Sadly, despite a good story, I often felt bored. I’m interested in the topic (Indian culture and immigration), and it might have helped me to keep my interest till the end. It was a great experience to read stories of people who potentially could live in the parts of Northern India that I’d visited.
The Year of the Runaways is like those Oscar winning films made in the style of social realism - there is a great topic, a sturdy plot, lots of suffering, injustice, and sadness. But in the end, all you have to say about it is: That’s life. There wasn’t much more in the sense of language or character depth, unfortunately. I couldn’t get any other messages from the book, except these: the immigrants suffer a lot, loyalty to your family brings you suffering, asking for help is worse than stealing, the West is overrated, your own countrymen/family can be even more cruel than strangers.
3/5⭐️ for the social value of the story and smooth writing.
The novel centers on the lives of four Indians, who try to carve a place for themselves in the UK, all of them from different social strata: a UK born Sikh girl, a brahmin boy, a merchant’s son, and an untouchable from Bihar, the poorest region of India. Their lives in the UK are described in great detail, which made me cringe sometimes - there was so much pain and injustice. The novel well supports the idea of a caste system that persists in the UK among Indian immigrants.
Sadly, despite a good story, I often felt bored. I’m interested in the topic (Indian culture and immigration), and it might have helped me to keep my interest till the end. It was a great experience to read stories of people who potentially could live in the parts of Northern India that I’d visited.
The Year of the Runaways is like those Oscar winning films made in the style of social realism - there is a great topic, a sturdy plot, lots of suffering, injustice, and sadness. But in the end, all you have to say about it is: That’s life. There wasn’t much more in the sense of language or character depth, unfortunately. I couldn’t get any other messages from the book, except these: the immigrants suffer a lot, loyalty to your family brings you suffering, asking for help is worse than stealing, the West is overrated, your own countrymen/family can be even more cruel than strangers.
3/5⭐️ for the social value of the story and smooth writing.