Burrow by Manzu Islam

Burrow

Manzu Islam

Can you be free even when you are persecuted? Set in a racially violent, late 1970's England, an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant reflects on his family history as he copes with the dangers of his predicament. We learn that freedom is as much a state of mind as a physical one. An uplifting read which has you rooting for the 'bad' guy even though you know you shouldn't.

Extract
Any time of the day would have been a bad time for something like this. Perhaps he should have waited until after dark, then, if he avoided the shops with neon signs and kept his head down as he passed the lampposts, slinking along like a stray cat, he could pretend that he was invisible. He had reasons enough not to feel at ease, yet, as if without a care in the world, he risked the streets in broad daylight.
Parallels
  • While There is Light by Tariq Mehmood
  • Brick Lane by Monica Ali