Pigeon English (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

There is an underlying issue with `reviewing' a novel like `Pigeon English' and daring to critique it. It almost makes you wonder should you dare to because the subject matter is a delicate one, in the main it seems that Stephen Kelman took the story of school boy Damiloa Taylor's death and wrote a fictional response about/to it. `Pigeon English is told by eleven year old Harrison Opuku, a young man who is also an immigrant from Ghana now living on one of the tower block council estates in London. This is an area of street gangs, poverty and violence; in fact the novel opens with the death of a school boy who Harrison sort of knew.

Writing in a child's narrative has become something of trend in modern contemporary writing, long before `Room' we had `What Was Lost' (and indeed the theme of child detective comes up in this book as Harrison and his best friend decide to hunt the killer), it is also a hard act to balance when on a tough subject. Can you hold the reader's belief? Does the narrative ring true? Does the simplicity of the voice dilute the events that are happening? Sadly, for me at least, whilst I loved Harrison's view on life, which often made me laugh out loud, it took away the impact of the novel. When you are spending time in the company of this lively witty young man you are also left missing a lot. I never felt I got to know any of the other characters deeply, the other school kids like X-Fire (pronounced Cross Fire) or Killa became almost like cartoon caricatures, his sister and mother has no real back story other than one being the matriarch and the other a bit of a pain. I also felt like there was a whole back story in Ghana I simply didn't know enough about. Oh and I haven't even started on the talking pigeon, something I didn't think was needed or added anything other than making me a bit cross.

I'm aware this sounds harsh, and indeed there are many things that make this book highly readable. Harrison's voice rings true and is a delight, it's a novel very much `of the time' and I it was highly readable - almost too readable for its topic. I wanted Stephen Kelman to give me more though, I wanted the wonderful `council estate whodunit' thread to be more of a story rather than a game/accidental thread/plot device, I wanted to know much more about his mother and what was going on with Ghana. There was a certain vagueness, or maybe it was simply too closed in a horizon which children can have, for me and that turned what could have been a fantastic book into a good one but one that didn't pack any emotional punch for me. If you have read this book then you will know it should have hit home harder all the way through but especially at the ending.

All that said I would recommend `Pigeon English' but maybe not so much for the adult market, and here I think Bloomsbury have missed a bit of a trick. This is a book with a wonderful child's voice that should be being pushed into schools and aimed at a young adult market. In that setting, and with that audience, I honestly think this book would have an incredible impact. I would also recommend this as a good `book group' novel, it's a great one for discussion. Not just for its subject matter, but also for the joys and pitfalls of the child narrator in fiction. I just felt something was missing amongst all the signs of promise.

I was given this at work to review for the childrens' website. It was an interesting tale - Harri, an eleven year old boy from Ghana is settling into his new life in the UK. He lives with his mother and slightly older sister. He is the second fastest runner in year 7, he draws the stripes on his 'Adidas' trainers, he is fascinated with the Dell Farm Crew and he is friends with Dean.

When a boy is murdered on his estate, Harri and Dean start to investigate. They collect prints, observe people around their estate and search for the murder weapon. In a world where they don't trust the police, Harri's investigation starts to reach his sister, his friends, the notorious Dell Farm Crew who terrorise his estate and school, and even Harri himself.

This is a gritty and funny book which deals with serious issues. Harri's voice is unique - abrupt, discriminate and innocent all at once. My only gripe is the paragraphs written from a pigeon's perspective which just didn't work for me, but overall, a great read and I would much recommend.

Finished this last night and it's certainly one of my books of the year! It's told in a properly original voice, and has a really lovable, funny central character in Harri. It's a joy to see the world through his eyes and this is what gives the novel its charm and its power. The author has has also succeeded in creating a cast of memorable and three-dimensional minor characters - for example the local drunk Terry Takeaway with his pit-bull Asbo. All of this draws you into the world of the Peckham gangs, as seen by an 11-year-old boy, and makes the ending truly devastating. Stephen Kelman's done a terrific job, and written something genuinely worthwhile. Thoroughly recommended.