So-so

An engrossing story in its own way but not sure it warrants being on the Booker shortlist at the expense of some of the other books on the long list, such as the excellent “A spell of good things” by Ayobami Adebayo.

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Like a Novello.

I am not too enthuastic about this. Not sure about the father daughter relationship in which she hurts I’m but didn’t do wrong. It is all bound up by the sport squash that reaches almost mystical proportions. Found so many loose ends at the endin the non sporting side of the book.

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Excellent

Interesting and moving.
I felt that I got to know the characters and understand them quickly from the subtle descriptions. .

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A delicate and powerful first novel

This is a first novel of astonishing originality,

Gopi and her two older sisters live with their Pa near the squash courts in Western Lane in London. The children’s mother has recently died and Pa is stricken with grief and abject loneliness. The story is told in Gopi’s voice and it is her observations which paint this tender and delicate picture of a devastated family struggling (and succeeding) to survive.

The book is compact and brief – so much is encapsulated in few words that no more are needed which the author has the judgement to realise. The central core is made of the constant games of squash which Pa insists the girls play, which becomes a wordless metaphor for Gopi’s growing up as , well as being her obsession and finally her salvation.. (The author must surely be a squash player!)

The book’s brevity is important too as so much of Gopi’s feelings are sub-verbal – the swirly feelings for has to Ged, her teenage squash partner whose stammer with its silences she feels comfortable with; the memories of her mother which come unbidden as images and scents; the remembered chasm between her own English and her mother’s Gujerat; the physicality of her whole body’s movements on the squash court; the half-heard conversations of Pa and her aunt and uncle who want to adopt her… . It’s all stylishly subtle and lyrical, greatly enhanced by the brilliantly nuanced narration

I wonder how China Maroo will follow it up.

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3 people found this helpful

Don’t think I’m the target market

Only read this because I decided to read the booker long list. I’m a little supposed that this very slight tale made the short list.
Made me interested to find out more about Jahangir Khan and his family’s achievements in squash.

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An odd little book

Is more like a short story essay one would write when at school I can’t understand at all why it got short listed for booker, the writing is sparse and simple but not outstanding the use of language is unremarkable. A study on grief coming of age and perhaps and unusual story as about a young girl would be squash protégé but she is Asian is that what qualifies this book to be shortlisted I don’t know but felt it lacking when thinking of past bookers I think this one falls short of the mark ..

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Brilliant and original writing

This captivated me with its story of a sport and culture I knew little about.

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Quiet and beautiful depiction of grief

Beautifully read, this short novel seems bigger than it is -- not longer in a bad way, just vaster in taking in the oceans of grief after the death of a wife and mother.

(Side note: I'm baffled by the UK cover, since it's 3 sisters not 2 and the central sport is squash not (as seems implied by that tiling) swimming -- the US cover, with a sportily clad girl with a racket and multiple squash balls is much more relevant.)

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Western Lane

Short, understated, well written novel on the impact a death has on a family.
I didn't love it, but I quite liked it.

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2 people found this helpful

Loved this. Listened again & again.

I considered this book because of the booker prize. But chose because of the excerpt, where I found the narration as well as the story to be engaging. Although a shorter book than many others, it’s rich with subtlety that becomes clearer the more you listen. The story expresses lots of complexities - around death, loss, migration, healing, family survival, cultural boundaries and multi cultural exploration. It interweaves its narrative with details about Pakistani squash players from the late 20th c. It’s unexpected but relatable. I loved it. And listened over and over to it. Different chapters at a time. Each time filling in the details of its component parts. One of the best books I’ve listened to, with the narration as much an asset as the story itself.

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1 person found this helpful