The Year of the Runaways | Book Review

The Year of the Runaways

Sunjeev Sahota

468 pages

Paperback

Picador Collection

2015

ISBN: 9781035061761

Review

‘It really is a pathetic thing. To mourn a past you never had. Don’t you think?’

The scope of ‘The Year of the Runaways’ might put the frighteners on any author. Migration into Britain, visa marriages, modern slavery…these are not easy subjects to write about in Brexit-inflamed, red-op apoplexy infused Britain. Nevertheless, it is into these waters which Sunjeev Sahota sails us, steadfastly and skilfully.  

Our protagonists are Tarlochan – an Indian refugee running from an all-encompassing trauma which has befallen him in his homeland, Avtar – a young man determined to win the heart of his girl from a continent away, and Randeep – a chaotic and unorganised boy. Randeep has employed the services of Narinder, a visa wife, to give him the legitimacy in the UK that he needs. What Narinder gets out of the arrangement is not immediately apparent. These are proper characters – complex, contradictory, irritating, and glorious.

The book has a wonderful lilting quality to it. Our characters flounder through winter, spring, summer, and autumn, always looking for security, for that first step on the ladder. I found much of the book heartbreaking, simply because of the cruelty of a system in which they cannot win. The push/pull factors which have driven them to the UK are myriad, and the story takes us to some harrowing places.

That isn’t to say that the book is a polemic against illiberal Britain. Integration is complex, and – spoiler alert – not everyone is a good guy. Everyone has an opinion on the subjects discussed in this novel, and the temptation to proselytise must have been there for Sahota. The strength of the book is Sahota’s willingness to let his character’s stand. It is a book entirely comfortable with letting its readers come to their own conclusions, with letting human nature interact with a cruel and sometimes kind world without an author’s scaffolding. Suffice to say, none of our characters makes it to the end of the year unmarked. This was an elegant, invigorating read.

Sunjeev Sahota is the author of four novels. ‘The Year of the Runaways’ was shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker.

*Thanks for reading. Image courtesy of ‘A Writer’s Life’. Find my other reviews below*

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Matthew Richardson is a writer of short stories. His work has featured in Gold Dust magazine, Literally Stories, Close to the Bone, McStorytellers, Penny Shorts, Soft Cartel, Whatever Keeps the Lights On, Flashback Fiction, Cafelit, Best MicroFiction 2021, Writer’s Egg, Idle Ink, The Wild Word, Down in the Dirt, and Shooter magazine. He has a Professional Doctorate in Education. Matthew blogs at www.matthewjrichardson.com.