Hanif Kureishi does not only draw a vivid portrait of London and its suburbs of the late 1970s, but also features an adolescent protagonist (Karim Amir) who is searching for his (hybrid) identity and sexual orientation. Thus, besides initiation into the world of grown-ups, another important aspect of this novel is the everyday experience of first generation (Anwar, Jeeta, Changez) and second generation (Karim, Jamila) immigrants to Britain.
With his way of telling Kureishi has definitively prepared the ground for Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" which was published a decade later.
For sure not the best book I have ever read, but nevertheless a very entertaining, important and imformative work. So, FOUR STARS for Mr Kureishi!