The Buddha of Suburbia

On Tuesday evening Julie Flynn Ciniglio articulately presented her selection, The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi, to an enthusiastic group of least 12 Barga Book Club members in the lovely and convivial atmosphere of her own studio apartment in Barga Vecchia.

The Buddha of Suburbia is an engaging story of the trials and tribulations of an ethnically diversified young man coming of age in the London suburbs in the late 20th Century. The protagonist, Karim, with a long suffering English mother and charismatic Indian father, is presented growing up through the lenses of pop music and culture clouded by his ethnic heritage.

Political and sociological themes of family, immigration, racism, class, spirituality, religion, sexuality, and mysticism are explored. The author deftly negotiates the subject of discrimination in post-colonial Britain, remaining seemingly objective, while focusing on the exploits and evolution of society from the early 70’s onward. In addition to cultural issues concerning race, the conflicts of a multitude of religious influences from Christianity through Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism are wrestled.

The book’s title refers to the protagonist’s father who develops a, first, suburban and then urban, following as a guru and spiritual leader, though his son can’t shake the feeling that he is more charlatan than shaman. Karim’s English mother fills an uncharacteristically subdued role of neglected partner while his father runs off with an artistic, sexually liberated sophisticate.

Karim himself goes through a laundry list of casual sexual exploits expected of the liberated.

Julie also thoughtfully provided the audio of an interview with the author in which he answers questions from a live audience and email queries. He gracefully skirts the prurient questions as to the book’s autobiographical nature and explains the story as the evolution of a new breed of British citizen, presenting the contradictory Indian characterization of sage and beggar by adaptation of identities and escapism.

The book seems to be a deceptively affectionate portrait of late 20th century British social issues and conflicts and covers many themes of contemporary interest.

The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 10th and the book presented will be All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.

The following month we will discuss The Tehran Conviction, hopefully with the author himself, Tom Gabbay.

Many thanks to everyone who brought food and/or wine and stayed to help Julie tidy up.

We look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting,

Kerry and Julie