Pigeon English
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman, published by A&C Black on March 7, 2011, is a work of fiction that follows the journey of eleven-year-old Harrison Opoku, who has recently moved from Ghana to an inner-city housing estate in England with his mother and older sister. Living on the ninth floor, Harri navigates his new environment with a mix of curiosity and innocence, unaware of the dangers that lurk around him. His passion for running and his fascination with both the local gang, the Dell Farm Crew, and a visiting pigeon highlight his attempts to adapt to this unfamiliar world.
In this narrative, Harri’s life takes a dramatic turn when a boy is murdered nearby, prompting him to launch his own investigation despite the risks involved. This quest not only exposes him to the harsh realities of urban life but also threatens the delicate safety net his mother has created for their family. Pigeon English presents a poignant exploration of childhood, innocence, and the complexities of growing up amidst violence and uncertainty, offering readers a vivid glimpse into the challenges faced by a young boy on the brink of manhood. The book spans 263 pages and is written in English.
Official synopsis Publisher
Newly arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister, eleven-year-old Harrison Opoku lives on the ninth floor of a block of flats on an inner-city housing estate. The second best runner in the whole of Year 7, Harri races through his new life in his personalised trainers – the Adidas stripes drawn on with marker pen – blissfully unaware of the very real threat all around him.
With equal fascination for the local gang – the Dell Farm Crew – and the pigeon who visits his balcony, Harri absorbs the many strange elements of his new life in England: watching, listening, and learning the tricks of urban survival.
But when a boy is knifed to death on the high street and a police appeal for witnesses draws only silence, Harri decides to start a murder investigation of his own. In doing so, he unwittingly endangers the fragile web his mother has spun around her family to try and keep them safe.
A story of innocence and experience, hope and harsh reality, Pigeon English is a spellbinding portrayal of a boy balancing on the edge of manhood and of the forces around him that try to shape the way he falls.
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