The book provoked a great discussion but not a lot of agreement. On the plus side it was an easy read, quite funny at points in its pastiche of Adrian Mole and the central character quite admirable in his ambition and capacity to shrug off racism. However, others commented on its flat dull tone, his crass status-consciousness, the bonkers pursuit of the unattainable girl, the complete absence of detail on his family. Amid the difference of views there was a good discussion of aspirational ‘Britishness’, his theological musings (were these part of his own discovery of Islam or a lesson to non-Muslims about Islam in the post-9/11 context ?) and the role metaphorical role of glitzy cars that frequently fall apart.
Scores ranged from 3 to 8 with an average of 5.3
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