Rating: 5/5
Review:
Exceptionally good
I thought that Khurrum Rahman’s first novel, East Of Hounslow, was
very good. Home Grown Hero, its sequel, is even better. (Although
you can read Home Grown Hero as a stand-alone novel, I would strongly
recommend that you read East Of Hounslow first – things will mean
far more to you.)
We don’t actually
catch up with the shocking ending of East Of Hounslow until almost a
third of the way through the novel, as we see Jay reorientating his
life. He is a cooler, rather more mature character after the events
last time, but his narrative voice is still as real and entertaining
(and expletive-strewn) as before. However, the decisions he had to
make are catching up with him and a thrilling, twisty plot ensues as
we get more insight into the nature of international terror and of
home-grown conflict and hostility. There is a rich and mature
treatment of the influences, biases and characters which make these
matters so complex, and it is Rahman’s remarkable human insights
which make this book so good – including a heartrending picture of
the pain of being on the receiving end of racist abuse and thuggery,
plus some genuinely touching moments concerning family and confounded
stereotypes. It is also an absolutely cracking story which is full
of tension, extremely exciting and which I found difficult to put
down.
This is, in short, a
really good thriller which also has genuine intellectual weight and
important things to say about some of the critical issues of our
time, while still being a pleasure to read. I thought it was
absolutely excellent and can recommend it very warmly indeed.
(My thanks to HQ for
an ARC via NetGalley.)
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