Mister, Mister, the new novel by Dylan Thomas Prize winner Guy Gunaratne, is a bold and blistering examination of race, identity, belonging and otherness in contemporary Britain.
It tells the story of Yahya Bas, a fatherless young boy who grows up in a mother-filled house in East Ham and goes on to become the mouthpiece for a disillusioned generation, before becoming disillusioned with this role himself and deciding to travel in search of answers. Eventually, he is detained in a British detention centre.
This journey is recounted through correspondence addressed to the eponymous ‘Mister’, an unnamed penpal of sorts, whose identity is only disclosed at the end of the novel. This framing device – the novel is written in short, letter-like fragments – occasionally feels contrived, and the constant repetition of ‘Mister’ can at times start to feel like an annoying affectation, one that could be used more sparingly to enhance its effect, but this doesn’t detract from the overall truth and power of the book.
Gunaratne beautifully humanises Yahya, pushing back against the prejudices that would inform a stereotypical interpretation of his actions – and, through the story of one man, tells the stories of millions, giving voice to the voiceless.
Mister, Mister, Guy Gunaratne (Headline)
Price: £20/£24.99 audiobook. Info: here
words JOSHUA REES
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