The Pocket Guide to being an Indian girl - a review
22nd July, 2004
by Amita Coonar
Freelance Writer
Welcome to the internal world of Sushminder - black sheep and emotional punch-bag of the chaotic, but alarmingly realistic, Dillon family of Dudley. No matter how hard she tries to do the right thing, Sushminder is shoved from pillar to post by her tyrannical Mother, conniving cousins and demonic 'antis'. Sound at all familiar?
Penned in a quasi-diarist style, Pocket Guide to being an Indian Girl is the first novel by 26 year old BK Mahal. The author grew up in Derby, where she regularly visited her local library with her father and siblings. She enjoyed modern British fiction, but could find nothing that reflected the lives of those born to immigrant parents. Pocket Guide was written to fill that gap.
In narrating the life of a second generation Indian teenager, B.K. Mahal forces us to reckon with our own stereotypes of “otherness”. In her own words, she is "sick of victim literature", which focuses only on culture clash, rebellion and identity confusion. Nor does she wish to act as a spokesperson for her generation: she speaks from the margins of her community rather than for it.
Pocket Guide recounts the trials and tribulations of disgruntled teenager Sushmi, as she and her family ride the emotional roller coaster leading up to her eldest sister's marriage to Pardeep, the much worshipped son of Dudley's kingpin clan - the dreaded Rai family.
BK Mahal's prose is jam packed with witty observation and acerbic hilarity, but beyond the humour lies a far more important story that is yet to reach the pages of any other novel in this light hearted genre - the painful reality of psychiatric illness within an Asian family. Five years ago, the author's own Father suffered an episode of mental illness. The experiences of her family in coping with this illness profoundly influenced the book.
Sushminder adores her Dad. He is the only one she truly relates to, but Dad has been branded a loony by the community and is a continual source of embarrassment to her 'below average intelligence' family. He has suffered a serious mental breakdown and is duly sectioned in the local 'funny farm'. God forbid he should be present at his daughter's wedding. But Sushminder understands her Dad; they are like two peas in a pod - sorely misunderstood. 'When you're up against thick people, you don't stand a chance', she tells us.
Instead of aligning herself with her fearsome Mum and toxic community, Sushminder seeks to explore her Father's illness, 'I walked along the cemetery-lined road as though I was walking on a tightrope. Did Dad feel like that all the time?' . We feel Sushminder's pain and we want her to demand social justice for her father.
It is through this character, whose life of hard work has not reaped the rewards of his more affluent counterparts, B.K. Mahal depicts the poorer Indian underclass that is so under-represented in both mainstream and Asian media.
The storyline of 'Pocket Guide' is wild, wacky and at times implausible - perfect for the teenage readership that it is aimed at. BK Mahal has beautifully captured the machinations of the adolescent mind. Through Sushminder's forthright yet pragmatic reflections on her life, the author delivers wise counsel on the turbulent transition to adulthood - an often difficult time for young British-Asians, particularly us gals.
It is a promising first novel that puts many wrongs to right. Through her humour, BK Mahal gives British Asian teenagers a voice of reason. In the current literary climate, adults, teenagers and children are all swapping books. Let's hope the first generation do just that with this little gem.
The Pocket Guide to being an Indian Girl is out now and published by BlackAmber Books.
-------------------------
amitcoonar@onetel.com
Freelance Writer
Welcome to the internal world of Sushminder - black sheep and emotional punch-bag of the chaotic, but alarmingly realistic, Dillon family of Dudley. No matter how hard she tries to do the right thing, Sushminder is shoved from pillar to post by her tyrannical Mother, conniving cousins and demonic 'antis'. Sound at all familiar?Penned in a quasi-diarist style, Pocket Guide to being an Indian Girl is the first novel by 26 year old BK Mahal. The author grew up in Derby, where she regularly visited her local library with her father and siblings. She enjoyed modern British fiction, but could find nothing that reflected the lives of those born to immigrant parents. Pocket Guide was written to fill that gap.
In narrating the life of a second generation Indian teenager, B.K. Mahal forces us to reckon with our own stereotypes of “otherness”. In her own words, she is "sick of victim literature", which focuses only on culture clash, rebellion and identity confusion. Nor does she wish to act as a spokesperson for her generation: she speaks from the margins of her community rather than for it.
Pocket Guide recounts the trials and tribulations of disgruntled teenager Sushmi, as she and her family ride the emotional roller coaster leading up to her eldest sister's marriage to Pardeep, the much worshipped son of Dudley's kingpin clan - the dreaded Rai family.
BK Mahal's prose is jam packed with witty observation and acerbic hilarity, but beyond the humour lies a far more important story that is yet to reach the pages of any other novel in this light hearted genre - the painful reality of psychiatric illness within an Asian family. Five years ago, the author's own Father suffered an episode of mental illness. The experiences of her family in coping with this illness profoundly influenced the book.
Sushminder adores her Dad. He is the only one she truly relates to, but Dad has been branded a loony by the community and is a continual source of embarrassment to her 'below average intelligence' family. He has suffered a serious mental breakdown and is duly sectioned in the local 'funny farm'. God forbid he should be present at his daughter's wedding. But Sushminder understands her Dad; they are like two peas in a pod - sorely misunderstood. 'When you're up against thick people, you don't stand a chance', she tells us.
Instead of aligning herself with her fearsome Mum and toxic community, Sushminder seeks to explore her Father's illness, 'I walked along the cemetery-lined road as though I was walking on a tightrope. Did Dad feel like that all the time?' . We feel Sushminder's pain and we want her to demand social justice for her father.
It is through this character, whose life of hard work has not reaped the rewards of his more affluent counterparts, B.K. Mahal depicts the poorer Indian underclass that is so under-represented in both mainstream and Asian media.
The storyline of 'Pocket Guide' is wild, wacky and at times implausible - perfect for the teenage readership that it is aimed at. BK Mahal has beautifully captured the machinations of the adolescent mind. Through Sushminder's forthright yet pragmatic reflections on her life, the author delivers wise counsel on the turbulent transition to adulthood - an often difficult time for young British-Asians, particularly us gals.
It is a promising first novel that puts many wrongs to right. Through her humour, BK Mahal gives British Asian teenagers a voice of reason. In the current literary climate, adults, teenagers and children are all swapping books. Let's hope the first generation do just that with this little gem.
The Pocket Guide to being an Indian Girl is out now and published by BlackAmber Books.
-------------------------
amitcoonar@onetel.com
