The Boy with the Topknot
A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton
Viking Adult
Paperback
: 30 Apr 2009
£9.99
Synopsis
It's 1979, I'm three years old, and like all breakfast times during my youth it begins with Mum combing my hair, a ritual for which I have to sit down on the second-hand, floral-patterned settee, and lean forward, like I'm presenting myself for execution.
For Sathnam Sanghera, growing up in Wolverhampton in the eighties was a confusing business. On the one hand, these were the heady days of George Michael mix-tapes, Dallas on TV and, if he was lucky, the occasional Bounty Bar. On the other, there was his wardrobe of tartan smocks, his 30p-an-hour job at the local sewing factory and the ongoing challenge of how to tie the perfect top-knot.
And then there was his family, whose strange and often difficult behaviour he took for granted until, at the age of twenty-four, Sathnam made a discovery that changed everything he ever thought he knew about them. Equipped with breathtaking courage and a glorious sense of humour, he embarks on a journey into their extraordinary past - from his father's harsh life in rural Punjab to the steps of the Wolverhampton Tourist Office - trying to make sense of a life lived among secrets.
Video produced by Sketch Media Company
Reviews
» Submit a reviewCritic Review:
'I absolutely loved it. Heartbreaking and wonderful. He writes beautifully'
Maggie O'Farrell
'Could not be more enjoyable, engaging or moving'
Observer
'About real secrets, in a real quest for understanding. It's tragic, funny and disturbing. It will challenge you, and may even change you'
Carole Angier, Independent
'Hilarious, engaging, tragicomic'
Meg Rosoff, Guardian
'Gripping and entertaining, horrifying and tender … Exposes all those things we take for granted as we grow up'
Hardeep Singh Kohli, The Times
Interview
Will the printed word endure?
Yes.
Which newspaper do you read?
Most of them, except The Express
Who/What is your biggest influence?
Would it be pathetic to say my mother?
What books are you reading at the moment?
Eat, Love & Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Magus by John Fowles. Not enjoying either.
What books did you read as a child?
Everything by Dahl, the Jennings books, and later, Waugh and Orwell.
Which literary character would you most like to meet?
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Which authors do you most admire?
I admire Colm Toibin for recently revealing the brutal truth about writing: it's a difficult and misery-inducing process, even when it goes well.
Where/When do you do most of your writing?
At home and at the British Library
What’s your favourite word/book?
Gimpery. My favourite book changes, but at the moment: Midnight's children.
What’s your day job?
Journalist
Who or what always puts a smile on your face?
Robert Peston's mannerisms.
What’s your earliest memory?
Pretending to speak English to my elder siblings as they left for school.
What is your greatest fear?
Death, not having children, dying alone, failure, having to move to West Bromwich, the usual.
How would you like to be remembered?
Perpetually.
Have you ever done something you’ve really regretted?
Of course, but it's better to regret something you have done than something you haven't.
How do you spoil yourself?
Unnecessary hotel stays, lie-ins, M&S teacakes.
Who do you turn to in a crisis?
Would it be pathetic to say my mother?
What makes you angry?
Any kind of bullying.
What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?
Eaten a pork dish in Mexico: it gave me a brain parasite and nearly killed me. Also, canoeing in Florida: I can't swim.
Are you in love?
Alas not.
What’s your worst vice?
Not finishing books.
What are you proudest of?
My relationship with my family.
Where’s your favourite city?
London.
When was the last time you cried?
Watching a BBC dramatisation of the events leading up to Dunkirk.
One wish: what would it be?
Being able to write very quickly.
Did you enjoy school?
Until the age of 14: adolescence is impossible to enjoy.
What's your worst habit?
Negativity.
What makes you mad?
Hypocritical liberals.
Have you ever broken the law?
Yes. But he hit me first.
What quality would you most like to have?
Optimism.
If you could swap a physical attribute with someone else, what would it be and who would you swap it with?
Someone's feet. Anyone's feet really. Mine are gross.
Have you got a party trick?
No.
Do you have any nicknames?
No, just all too common manglings. I've been called everything from Satnav, to Shatnam, Satnan, Samantha, Satan and Bathman.
Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?
2.4 Kids, a wife, and a mid-sized SUV please.
Product details
Format :
Paperback
ISBN: 9780141028590
Size : 129 x 198mm
Pages : 336
Published : 30 Apr 2009
Publisher : Viking Adult
Other formats for The Boy with the Topknot:
» ePub eBook: eBook : £5.99
The Boy with the Topknot
A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton
£9.99
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