THE YEAR OF THE RUNAWAYS
by Sunjeev Sahota
In many ways, The Year of the Runaways is difficult to read. But despite its length, it is one of those books that sucks you in so completely that it is hard to re-emerge. Sahota has created such an intriguing plot with such vivid, true-to-life characters, that it feels more like watching a movie than reading.
Set in England and India, the story follows three young men who leave the strict caste system and limited opportunities of India in hopes of getting rich in England. Each enters England in a different way: one on a student visa; one on a marriage visa; and one in the back of a poultry truck. The fourth character is a young woman born in England who decides as an act of independence to marry a young man who is desperate for a visa—an act of charity planned to end in divorce when he gets his stamp after one year.
The four characters must deal with corrupt lawyers, predatory bosses, and unreasonable landlords. And always the fear of a raid or a visit from immigration lurks. Their lives intersect in surprising and complicated ways. I often found it difficult to fully absorb the hardships that seemed to continually batter each of their lives throughout the book.
Sahota drops the reader into this world without much explanation, a stylistic choice I found brilliant. He often uses Hindi words, particularly in the conflict surrounding the caste system. The reader must simply figure it out and keep reading. I loved feeling a little bit lost at the beginning, reinforcing how unfamiliar this whole story and world is for me. Despite being a book that required some effort, I am very glad I made the commitment. (Lily)
