The Lonely Londoners - Sam Selvon

Penguin Clothbound Classics' answer to the BLM hype train, this book came out just in time to cash in on the tail end of the movement. Of all the eighty titles given the clothbound treatment thus far, there have been only two black writers, first Dumas, and now Sam Selvon. My bookcase would be judged very harshly indeed. The Lonely Londoners is a modern classic, and a book I had never even heard of. It tells of Windrush generation immigrants moving to London from the West Indies during the 1950s, and how they adapt to a cold, polluted capital, and prejudiced society. I went in with low expectations but came out more than pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a plodding, depressive account of London racism, and whilst there are examples of discrimination that Selvon's colourful ensemble of rogues encounter, the text seemed more hopeful and upbeat than brooding. The main protagonist, the sulky Moses Aloetta, is a veteran immigrant of ten years who helps others get settled in the city, yet his unwavering pessimism does not rub off on the new recruits. Selvon does not hold back in his depiction of the desperate, often seedy ensemble of shiftless hustlers, fraudsters, deadbeats, domestic abusers, and sexual prowlers. 

By no means a positive representation of West Indian immigrants, it is, presumably, a candid one. Selvon's characters remain memorable, distinct, and in spite of their licentious qualities, oddly likable. As the introduction essayist Susheila Nasta repeatedly and nervously reassures the reader, these characters are fictitious. The less unsavoury actors attempting to make a real go of cultural integration lament how the bad eggs jeopardise their tenuous footing in the country with their shenanigans, muddying the waters for future waves of immigrants. Therein lies much of the tragi-comedy. The narrative is meandering and plotless, consisting of stream of consciousness character portraits and standalone incidents. There is a rambling, sentenceless monologue that runs on for several pages, placing the text within the experimental modernist genre. Most noteworthy however, is the linguistic voice of the novel, written in a stylised creole dialect replete with Caribbean slang. From Trainspotting to A Clockwork Orange, I always enjoy books written in the local dialect of the characters, and The Lonely Londoners is no exception. A thought-provoking, sometimes tragic, often hilarious read, I encourage everyone to take up.

Rating: 4/5