I feel like I have began a lot of my book discussions like this, but I first heard about this book on the radio. I heard some of it read out and a bit about the author, and it stuck with me because he and the book are heavily based in North London!
Publishers
It was published by #Merky Books in 2019. For those who don't know #Merky Books was launched by Stormzy in 2018 in collaboration with Penguin Books. It's aim is to change what we understand as the mainstream of literature, and welcomes voices from 'untraditional' and 'intersectional' spaces. For me this is so important, the books and media we consume should represent all of us.
The author was awarded the Desmond Elliot Prize for fiction for this novel. (I believe this is probably around the time I heard about it on the radio possibly...??)
The Author
In this book particularly, the author, invites the reader to take this story, the book they are holding as their own story. If the reader sees themselves personally reflected in the pages. Owusu powerfully does this by saying; 'you are holding the pen and not me'. I do not know the whole background of Owusu himself, but I do believe he is writing from his experiences and upbringing. He hands over his craft as a writer to express his experience, to others that perhaps do not have the ability or courage to articulate their experience themselves. It is a deeply personal story, but this short message at the beginning of the novella broadens the reach of this ability to express life's different struggles.
The Plot
The reach of the story extends to the speaker or 'main character' being called just 'K'. This again feeds into, what I believe is one of the authors aim, to create a story/space for the voices that have not been heard before, (similar perhaps to the aims of the publisher!).
The story is a fragmentary novel. This means that rather having chapter after chapter in a succinct order, it leaps from one situation to another, with the general chronology being following 'K' through childhood to adulthood. Each short fragment is a memory, some in order, some take leaps in time or subject. All are important to K.
K is put into care at a years old, somewhere as the language demonstrates, in the countryside surrounded by woods and fields. Once 11 years old is is transported back to London with his birth parents who are now strangers to him. The harshness of the city is drawn into contrast with his green idyll of his early life.
The brutal contrast of urban life is conveyed through the imagery. The reader is taken through memories that have in some way impacted K as he struggles with identity, addiction, sexuality, religion and family.
The Language
The language for me, in this book is the real pull. The richness of the language draws the reader in. In the same instance the emotively-packed language obscures each fragment, centralising that these are all imperfect memories and moments from a life. It is more accurate to write the story of a life in this way as our memories are not sequenced or accurate chronological diaries, rather they are just a random assortment of moments, that for sometimes no reason whatsoever, have remained swimming round in our head. This elevates each fragment of memory, as being an instrumental and powerful piece of the construction of K as he becomes an adult.
It is because of the richness of the language and the fragmentary form that I think this reads more like a long, free verse poem. The language was taut with anguish but also innocence as a young boy tries to navigate the very 'fragmented' world in which he has been placed. The language was so intense that I often re-read lines to understand the imagery and meaning. If an author is able to use words like this, they are clearly good at what they do.
Culture and Story-telling
Owusu is very aware about his craft as a 'story creator'. At the beginning of each segment there is an illustration of a spider web, as the novel moves forward the web grows. This could of course be an emblem for the 'weaving' of K's life, that our own experiences serve to trap us into a particular lifestyle that is difficult to escape.
This was my thought before doing a bit of research. At the beginning of each segment, alongside the image of the spider a unknown speaker, (Owusu himself?), addresses 'Anansi'. Anansi is an Akan folktale character. He often takes the shape of a spider and is sometimes considered to be a god of all knowledge of stories. The Akan people are in present day Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Anansi is a common figure however across much West African folklore. This slightly changes my original thoughts as the addresses to Anansi, at the beginning of each section of the book, attribute Anansi as in part control of the story the speaker creates or 'weaves'. The speaker in some instances almost seems to be calling on Anansi as a muse, like please allow the words I give to construct this story.
This structure, causes the plot to be more multi-layered that first appearances allow. It is the story of K, but it is also the story of Owusu writing and constructing this story, to meet a universal audience. By drawing the reader into the story-making process, he gives a platform to those who have had similar experiences to K to voice their lives, and seem themselves articulated in a new form of art (literature).
Bad Comparisons
I am unsure whether I should make this observation but this book reminded me of of Douglas Stuart's 2019 novel Shuggie Bain. Very differently to K, Shuggie is growing up in 1980s Glasgow with an alcoholic Mother and abusive Father. To be fair to Derek Owusu I think his novel came out before, (no one copied each other! haha).
I guess what I could observe that is similar is; the struggle of a young boy to find his identity, independence etc, in an environment or upbringing that is unforgiving. As I write this I recall, that both writers are drawing from personal upbringing and experience, so there is the point to be made.
The styles are both very different. Stuart relies a lot more on sparseness and pairing back his language to show emotional hardship and vulnerability. Differently, Owusu's writing is rich which imagery and language that implicates the reader in K's experience. I personally preferred Owusu's book because of his language craft. I do however think that it is down to personal reader's taste, as Owusu points out in his opening dedication. A good read and I've seen some more of his work which I will read!
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