We Move
Winner of the 2023 Somerset Maugham Award
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Profile Books Ltd
Published:7th Apr '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£8.99(9781788169479)
In We Move, Gurnaik Johal explores the interconnected lives of multicultural London, revealing the complexities of language, relationships, and identity through compelling narratives.
In We Move, Gurnaik Johal presents a vibrant tapestry of life in multicultural London, capturing the essence of its diverse communities and their intricate connections. The stories unfold beneath the flight paths of Heathrow, where characters navigate the complexities of language, culture, and relationships. Priti, who converses in English while her grandmother speaks Punjabi, exemplifies the challenges faced by immigrant families striving to bridge generational gaps. The absence of Priti's mother adds to the struggle for a shared understanding, highlighting the nuances of communication in a multicultural setting.
The narrative also explores the evolving dynamics of relationships, as seen through Chetan and Aanshi's experience when an abandoned car disrupts their lives. Similarly, Gujan's baba, after years of seclusion, ventures out to share a bicycle tour with his grandson, revealing the transformative power of connection and nostalgia. Lata's return home after leaving university introduces a personal conflict tied to her estranged family friend, now a struggling rapper, showcasing the intersection of personal and cultural identity.
We Move is a collection that deftly weaves together the past and present, the local and the global, illustrating the myriad ways in which lives intertwine. Johal's storytelling resonates with authenticity and heart, making this debut a remarkable contribution to contemporary literature, comparable to the works of celebrated authors like Junot Díaz and Bryan Washington.
A debut collection of such precocity and aplomb that it stands comparison to the likes of Junot Díaz and Bryan Washington. A collection to celebrate, from a new talent of the kind that comes along rarely -- John Self * Observer *
The stories in this wonderful collection are fresh, immediate and poignant -- Colin Barrett * Irish Independent *
Gurnaik Johal's virtuosic debut collection brings fresh ingredients to the future of Indian writing -- Sana Goyal * Guardian *
Conversational, brimful of beautifully observed descriptions of the sights and sounds of this world * Daily Mail *
A stunning collection * Evening Standard *
These are excellent stories, told with skill and verve. Gurnaik Johal has a sharp eye for details, an ear for the gaps and evasions in real dialogue, and a heart for the hopes and regrets that carry us through our lives. But most of all, he has the instincts of a storyteller, and in We Move he has put those instincts to great effect' -- Jon McGregor
Moving, truthful, straight from the heart (and a very capacious heart too), the stories in We Move announce the arrival of a promising young writer we will be talking about for years to come -- Neel Mukherjee
An assured and profoundly humane collection, rich in character and story. Johal relocates the human comedy to contemporary Southall and weaves in threads from the past and far across the world -- Jo Lloyd, author of The Earth, Thy Great Exchequer, Ready Lies
A whole universe of lives intricately connected and woven together in a way that is wholly surprising and unobvious -- Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love
Deft and defiant. These stories are told with real heart and dazzling speed -- John Patrick McHugh, author of Pure Gold
With this beautiful, kaleidoscopic, moving, staggeringly full-of-life debut collection of stories, Gurnaik Johal has catapulted himself into the front rank of the chroniclers of the country we live in. You don't know Britain until you've read We Move -- Rahul Raina, author of How to Kidnap the Rich
Delicate, controlled and moving portraits of the strange, poignant dislocation wrought by both distance and proximity -- Colin Barrett
- Winner of Somerset Maugham Awards 2023 (UK)
ISBN: 9781788169462
Dimensions: 218mm x 140mm x 28mm
Weight: 357g
240 pages
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