Pigeon English
Kelman, StephenFresh off the plane from Ghana, eleven year old Harrison Opuku [Harri] and his family have plenty to adjust to in England especially as their new home is in a gang-ridden London housing estate. Seen through Harri's eyes, this is an adventure in finding your place and fitting in. That is until Harri and his friends' efforts to find out how a local boy was murdered threaten the progress his family has made to survive in this alien environment.
Often funny, never predictable, this novel features an endearing protagonist and a poignant storyline that highlights the many challenges faced by migrants. [Larger font]
Comments from Groups
Mixed reactions - wit and humour appreciated but the poverty, violence and harshness depicted softened by the youthful narrator, his naivety and initial innocence. Good discussion but a depressing read. Christchurch 095 It is a sad story set far away from New Zealand but it could be in your neighbourhood! Great read! Turangi 001 Mixed feelings regarding this book - "disturbing" most mentioned! Appreciated Kelman's ability to write from the perspective of the 11 year old and the dialogue that captured the "voices" of Harrison and the inhabitants of Dell Farm Estate. Wanaka 010 This story of a 11 year old Harrison, a newly arrived Ghanian immigrant who lives in a large housing estate in London, we found disturbing. It is well written, narrated by the 11 year old, and the main characters are quite believable, but the life they have to lead we found quite depressing. We had an interesting discussion despite the disturbing subject of poverty and gang life and felt it gave us a good insight into the life many people have to live. Christchurch 010
Pages
263
263
Year
2011
2011
Reviews
18-10-2021
Very powerful story, joyful and tragic. Paints a frightening picture of life on a housing estate. The main character was charming, and we enjoyed his delight in simple pleasures.
18-10-2021
Mixed responses to this book. Only half of the group completed reading it. Those who read it found it a difficult read as the subject matter was so brutal. However in the discussion we agreed it was a story that had to be told, and although we found it difficult, it is the reality for so many people.
18-10-2021
Although recognising the dire situation of immigrants and the ghetto-like conditions, and recognising the author's need to be genuine in the story-telling, many found the stilted 11-year old language off putting and not conducive to easy flow of reading. Very pertinent discussion on immigration.
18-10-2021
Some enjoyed this book and loved the young character who was such an optimist, also the street/teenage humour. However most of the group found the book too dark, and the flow was lacking.
18-10-2021
'Pigeon English' certainly led to a wide ranging and interesting discussion in our group. There were various levels of enjoyment from "I didn't care for it at all" to "I learnt a great deal about the cultural difficulties of new African immigrants to England". Having immigrants from South Africa in our group gave us a deeper understanding and knowledge of the problems that Harrison Opoku's family faced. It certainly is a thought provoking first novel of humour and despair, and worthy of its short listing in the Man Booker Prize 2011.
18-10-2021
Another controversial book that certainly led to plenty of discussion. The majority of the group found the language and the attitudes of the children and teenagers that the author described were too crude to be realistic. They found the story hard to believe and complex, especially with the use of so many changes to the vocabulary used. Some of the group members were impressed by Stephen Kelman's ability to describe the difficult world that a young immigrant in a foreign culture would suffer. Summed up the experience of those group members who have worked with needy young people.
18-10-2021
Generated a very interesting discussion - a tale of tragedy.
18-10-2021
Didn't enjoy the language although we acknowledge it as being realistic.
18-10-2021
Challenging story - and a shock at the end. Well-written grittiness.
02-03-2020
We thought the author did a great job of telling the story from an 11 year's old point of view. However most of us found the narrative quite repetitive and not much seemed to happen in the book. We enjoyed the bits with the pigeon but we were also struck at how hopeless the situation seemed. The violence was often shocking and the ending came as a surprise.
06-10-2019
Most did not enjoy the book, found it tragic and depressing, but surprisingly gave the book an average of 7 out of 10. We all struggled with the jargon, found it easy to picture the events because of the writing, and quite a few of us found that although the beginning was not so enjoyable, the ending redeemed the book and gave it meaning.