Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman

About the Book

Title: Pigeon English
Author: Stephen Kelman
Publication: Bloomsbury (2011)
Summary: Newly arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister Lydia, Harrison absorbs the many strange element of city life, from the bewildering array of Haribo sweets, to the frightening, fascinating gang of older boys from his school. But his life is changed forever when one of his friends is murdered. He decides to take it upon himself to find the killer. 

What I Think


I borrowed this book from a friend at work and was interested to learn that it had been shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize 2011, along with five others: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (the winning novel), Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch, The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt, Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyn and Snowdrops by A.D. Miller. A shortlisting for this highly prestigious prize is, in itself, a massive achievement, and I therefore had high expectations of this novel. 

Harrison, the main character, a young boy who has recently moved to England from Ghana is utterly adorable and has a unique perspective on things. I enjoy reading books written from a child's perspective. If the author is able to capture the wonder that children have about the world and how they see things, it makes for a very interesting read. 
Have you heard of YouTube? It's a place on the internet just for films of things eating each other. Dean showed me a snake eating a boy. 

When people speak a language that isn't their mother tongue, they quite often say things differently to native speakers. Kelman has thought up some interesting ways to define Harrison's use of language. 
I got a remote control car even if it wasn't my birthday. Asweh it was dope-fine.[...] 
Me: 'Stop snapping me, you're making me crash!'
Lydia: 'Stop crashing, you're making me snap you!' 

Harrison is in an unfamiliar place, a place far more dangerous than he is used to, and he is too young to understand what is going on around him. This lands him in trouble. His sister is friends with girls who have links to an extremely nasty crowd. His aunt is living with a man who deals with violence every day. When Harrison, along with his best friend Dean, start looking for clues to find the killer of their friend, they bite off way more than they can chew. 
I followed the word with my fingers to feel for a clue. It was only pretend: I knew already who did it and who it was meant for. Jordan's always writing warnings with his war knife, it shows the enemy he means business and freaks them out. 

This is a very powerful novel about youth, displacement and trying to survive in an ever changing world full of people you love, but also full of people you can't trust. Highly recommended. 

About the Author

Stephen Kelman was born in Luton in 1976. Pigeon English, his first novel, was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Book Prize, the Desmond Eilliott Prize and the Guardian First Book Award, and he was also shortlisted for the New Writer of the Year Award at the 2011 Galaxy National Book Awards. he lives with his wife Uzma in st Albans, where he is currently work on his second book. 

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

About the Book


This is the story of a man, Tony Webster, who is looking back on his life. Recent events cause his outlook on certain past events, and indeed his entire life, to change. 

What I think 


This is not a lengthy book and I put off buying it for several months, despite wanting to read it, due to cost. I generally buy books for my kindle now (even though I still love 'real' books) due to convenience. Living in Hong Kong it's not always easy to find titles and even if you can find/order them, the prices are often inflated. Initially this book was priced at over £6.00 and for an e-book I have real trouble paying that kind of price. Is this just me? 


However, the cost came down and I bought it and recently read it. It's not a 'light' or 'easy' read, more of a challenge I'd say, and I'd possibly go as far as to say a little pretentious. However, there is enough of a story to keep you interested and turning the pages. I liked the fact that I, as the reader, thought I was one step ahead of the main character, but I wasn't. The ending is still a shock and I love it when the authors are clever enough to enable that to happen. 


There was a strong theme of love and life in this book. How do we love and how do we live. There was the 'ordinary' vs. the 'extreme'. I felt questions were raised about how much control you have over your life and how much your life controls you.    


About the Author

Julian Barnes (b. 1946) was born in Leicester and was educated at the City of London School from 1957 to 1964 and at Magdalen College, Oxford, from which he graduated in modern languages (with honors) in 1968. He has worked as a lexicographer, a reviewer, literary editor and television critic. Barnes has written numerous novels, short stories and essays. He has received several awards and honors for his writing, including the Man Booker Prize for The Sense of an Ending (2011).