Absolute genius!
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What a marvellous first novel by this truly talented author. It takes a couple of chapters to get into, but after that, one just can't put it down! Monica Ali has ventured into a world and an experience that few have managed to portray with so much sensitivity, acuteness and genius. The many facets of Bangladeshi culture, covering most angles, all generations and many of its struggles and issues, are described very convincingly. This book is poignant in places, funny in others and shows many aspects of a complex culture. Whether you are inside or outside that culture is irrelevant, as much of the content, such as the hardships suffered by Hasina who struggles through life in Bangladesh but shows her resilience throughout, or the dwindling aspirations of Chanu as he tries to reconcile his intellectual ambitions with the reality of life as an immigrant in a different country, or the sense of disillusion faced by many, is something that most readers can identify with. Definitely a good read.
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Heavy going
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I bought all the books that had been nominated for the 2003 MAN Booker Prize, Brick Lane being one of them so I had reasonably high expectations. I'm a little relieved, judging by the other reviews on Amazon, to find out that I'm not the only one who couldn't wait to finish it (some gave up). It was interesting at first, but it seemed interminably long and by the time I was crying out for it to end, I was barely halfway through! Perhaps people from that part of London will find it more appealing, or those from Bangladesh. But this was one of those rare occasions when I thought I could use my time more usefully than read a book. All I can say is that it must be aimed at a niche market, those in that group will doubtless sing its praises but for the mass-market....I'm not so sure. Sometimes, the best people to write observations of specific cultures are those who live outside of those cultures rather than those who live within them. Maybe an 'outsider' can do it in a way that a wider audience will understand and appreciate.
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