Many people of my age group (I'm 21, just for the record) have commented that there is very little drama or literature based on the youth cultures of Indians living in typical 'Desi areas' of England. It was with this in mind that I picked up Londonstani, a novel based on a group of A-level re-sit students living in Hounslow (an Asian area in West London). All of them are Punjabi, three Hindus (Ravi, Amit and Jas) and a Sikh (Harjit, who makes everyone call him 'Hard-jit').

The story is told through the voice and thoughts of Jas, who up until a little while ago was (in his own words) a geek and a coconut, who was 'taken in' and made part of the group by Harjit (the ringleader), who has a chivalrous streak towards strays. The entire book is written in the colloquial slang that most Asians living in these kinds of areas would speak. This is done to bring authenticity to the story, but is overdone. I suspect that anybody other than an 'insider' (i.e. somebody who has grown up in a similar kind of environment) would be able to make coherent sense of many passages of the book. Sometimes, the characters are made to say and do certain embarrassingly stupid things that any person with a brain would refrain from saying and doing, just to facilitate the progression of the story.

Other than the above mentioned flaw, Londonstani is both entertaining and funny. There is lots of violence from the outset, which is quite realistic, seeing as violence is endemic in Asian areas, especially with people who try and purposefully cultivate a 'hard' image like the group who are the focus of the story, and who get involved in illegal business to make extra money (unblocking stolen phones in this case). The kind of conflicts and tensions that exist regularly occur are depicted quite realistically. There are fights against a racist white guy, a Pakistani guy for going out with a Sikh girl, a white guy who makes it a habit to go after Asian girls as well as 'business related violence'.

The inner turmoil of a Jas as a geek trying to fit in with the 'in crowd' is also quite well depicted, and humorous. Sometimes though, Jas's rambling about his insecurities is downright irritating, slow and tedious. Family politics and wedding politics are also covered in a funny yet quite insightful way.

All in all, Londonstani will definitely appeal to most readers who are familiar with the slang or can manage to decipher it. For many British Asian youth, this book will provide a story that quite accurately shows life as they experience it, with all its highs, lows, humour, struggle and turmoil.

Reviewed by Paven Verma