rachelemm's review against another edition
5.0
4th Estate is one of my favourite publishers so I had high expectations for the Booker long-listed 'Who They Was' and I am pleased to say that it did not disappoint. Gabriel Krauze's unique writing style means we are transported into the brutal dog-eat-dog world of South Kilburn gang culture from page 1. The book is auto-fiction and I felt that authenticity throughout. Krauze writes using the dialect of the streets and this was at times difficult to understand, so much so that it almost read as another language in the vein of A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Once you get into it though you are rewarded with a fully immersive reading experience. Violence, sex, friendship and family are presented to the reader raw and bleeding (quite literally in some cases). I read some sections with my mouth open as our protagonist, or perhaps more accurately our anti-hero, "Snoopz" carried out muggings, burglaries and stabbings all in an effort to uphold his reputation as someone not to be messed with. His relationships with his girlfriend and his family suffer as he prioritises his street family over his blood family and while it is frustrating to see him reject the love and support being offered by these people in his life, I could also see how a desire for wealth and status led him to make the choices he did.
Violence in Krauze's world is a way of life and it can be relentless. I didn't always like Snoopz, in fact there were many things he did that I found absolutely abhorrent, but as a reader you have to accept that he is living by a different set of rules and a different system of morality. At the very least he is honest and his unapologetic stance meant I understood him even if I didn't always respect him.
While the writing style won't be to everyone's tastes, I thought it was the standout feature of this novel. Within a page Krauze will slip from street talk into some of the most beautiful similes and phrases I have ever read - "diamond grillz shining in black faces like fallen gods chewing stars" - being just one of many such examples I could have included here. It's a testament to how far we have come in diversifying the voices we get to read that work like this is being published and lauded.
Reading this book, I was reminded of the first time I came across 'The Scholar' by Courttia Newland when I was in my teens. It was the first time I read about characters who looked like me and the people I knew, characters who spoke like my friends and weren't vilified for doing so. Who They Was does the same for a new generation who may feel they don't have a place in the establishment or on the literary stage. The fact that Krauze's book has been long-listed for the Booker Prize goes to show that perhaps the establishment is slowly starting to recognise that great literature can come in many forms and Krauze absolutely deserves his place on that list.
Violence in Krauze's world is a way of life and it can be relentless. I didn't always like Snoopz, in fact there were many things he did that I found absolutely abhorrent, but as a reader you have to accept that he is living by a different set of rules and a different system of morality. At the very least he is honest and his unapologetic stance meant I understood him even if I didn't always respect him.
While the writing style won't be to everyone's tastes, I thought it was the standout feature of this novel. Within a page Krauze will slip from street talk into some of the most beautiful similes and phrases I have ever read - "diamond grillz shining in black faces like fallen gods chewing stars" - being just one of many such examples I could have included here. It's a testament to how far we have come in diversifying the voices we get to read that work like this is being published and lauded.
Reading this book, I was reminded of the first time I came across 'The Scholar' by Courttia Newland when I was in my teens. It was the first time I read about characters who looked like me and the people I knew, characters who spoke like my friends and weren't vilified for doing so. Who They Was does the same for a new generation who may feel they don't have a place in the establishment or on the literary stage. The fact that Krauze's book has been long-listed for the Booker Prize goes to show that perhaps the establishment is slowly starting to recognise that great literature can come in many forms and Krauze absolutely deserves his place on that list.
clmckinney's review against another edition
5.0
This is the true life story of Gabriel Krauze. It details the life a gang member in parts of modern day London. It is grimy, rough, visceral and interesting. This reminded me of The Glorious Heresies a bit. The writing is well done. At one glance, one might dismiss this book as trying to shock, but it definitely proves itself to be very literary. The negative bit for me was that half way through, it got a little bit repetitive. But I was more interested in Gabriel's journey, which really won me over. For this, it gets a 5/5.
bibliobethreads's review
4.0
I started Who They Was with genuine intrigue and excitement. Even though it was long-listed for the Booker Prize, I had still not heard very much about it or seen it discussed in any great depth. I wasn’t prepared for such a powerful story, made all the more poignant by it being autobiographical.
Gabriel straddles two lives - one in which he’s a highly intelligent student of English Literature at university and the other on the streets of London as part of a gang, known as Snoopz. The novel explores the hard, dangerous edge to this young man’s life when he becomes embroiled in drugs, guns, stabbing and robberies.
As Gabriel juggles the two sides of himself, he learns the importance of having a loving family, nurses betrayal from disloyal friends and comes to terms with the consequences of what his actions and reactions may mean for his future.
Who They Was is not an easy read but it felt so authentic, fresh and current with its bird’s eye view of the gang culture, slang and rules of the London streets. Having those two sides to Gabriel felt really important and I was often heartbroken that he was so heavily invested in his life as Snoopz.
I’ll never be able to fully imagine or appreciate what life is like for kids who become involved in that world but I want to thank the author from the bottom of my heart for giving me a glimpse and for educating me in a really honest and open way.
This is the sort of story that lingers long after you’ve finished. It’s only now when I look back on it that I realise how much I enjoyed being immersed in Krauze’s narrative. Bursting with bold, colourful characters and some real thought-provoking passages, I can’t wait to see what this author does next.
Four stars
Gabriel straddles two lives - one in which he’s a highly intelligent student of English Literature at university and the other on the streets of London as part of a gang, known as Snoopz. The novel explores the hard, dangerous edge to this young man’s life when he becomes embroiled in drugs, guns, stabbing and robberies.
As Gabriel juggles the two sides of himself, he learns the importance of having a loving family, nurses betrayal from disloyal friends and comes to terms with the consequences of what his actions and reactions may mean for his future.
Who They Was is not an easy read but it felt so authentic, fresh and current with its bird’s eye view of the gang culture, slang and rules of the London streets. Having those two sides to Gabriel felt really important and I was often heartbroken that he was so heavily invested in his life as Snoopz.
I’ll never be able to fully imagine or appreciate what life is like for kids who become involved in that world but I want to thank the author from the bottom of my heart for giving me a glimpse and for educating me in a really honest and open way.
This is the sort of story that lingers long after you’ve finished. It’s only now when I look back on it that I realise how much I enjoyed being immersed in Krauze’s narrative. Bursting with bold, colourful characters and some real thought-provoking passages, I can’t wait to see what this author does next.
Four stars
shanara22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
apierlessbridge's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
5.0
This book was brilliant. The writing was so rhythmic and immersive right out of the gate and it never let up. The voice was so strong that I highly recommend either reading it with the audio which is narrated by the author, or just the audio (especially if you're an American reader with a lack of knowledge of North London slang).
Having said that, this book will not be for everyone. It's very confronting and matter-of-fact and violent, but I found it so compelling, and the snapshot-of-a-life style of the story brought you right in. Agree or disagree with the choice to make this fiction; but, I think, it tried to tell the truth of a lived experience and was very successful in doing so. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
Having said that, this book will not be for everyone. It's very confronting and matter-of-fact and violent, but I found it so compelling, and the snapshot-of-a-life style of the story brought you right in. Agree or disagree with the choice to make this fiction; but, I think, it tried to tell the truth of a lived experience and was very successful in doing so. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for giving me an e-arc. All opinions remain my own.
This was a buddy read with Read A Book Gem.
Reading vlog: https://youtu.be/ntJrduHQn88
This was a pretty interesting book. From the start there was some high action happening and you really get thrown into it. As I was reading, I began to realise that this was probably somewhat autobiographical, yet I don't recall that being written anywhere, we'll, not until the "About the Author" section.
The writing style was strange; it almost felt like stream of consciousness, no speech marks, long rambly sentences, that sort of thing. However, although I initally wasn't sure how I'd feel about that, I feel like it made the pacing faster and had me more absorbed.
It's cleverly woven how beautiful some of Gabriel's words are (particularly when discussing his uni lectures) in stark contrast to his interactions with his gang and their criminal activities. It was an interesting dynamic to show his two worlds, yet I found that he wasn't ever one or the other, he was always both and you could see that in the general way he lived, for example, how he would still bring up random literary comments to his friends at home, but still wear things like his grillz and talk this intense slang relating to murder, drugs, etc, in his classes/to his peers at university.
Unfortunately, I did find that after completing this book, I'm almost left wondering what the point was. I felt like it gave a really good look at the perspective of gang life in the UK and how that can be, and it was interestingly contrasted with uni life, through the perspective of Gabriel, of which had both of those going for him, simultaneously, but other than that I just felt like I was waiting for this turning point to come, and it never did.
I didn't really feel like I got the message, if there is one, and am just left feeling like I may have wasted my time reading this. But then again, real life doesn't always have a turning point or a massive happy ending and Gabriel's story isn't over. In fact, I guess he he did sort of have this turning point I was craving, but in a more subtle, everyday, realistic way. If I look at it more that way, I grasp some more merit from its telling. It is his truth, after all.
I'm thinking of watching or reading some author interviews soon, to see if I can understand a bit more where the he was going with this, because it almost felt like a diary of sorts, just glorifying these crimes he was committing and most oftentimes getting away with, and had I known that it wasn't necessarily going to be a "moral of the story" kind of outcome, or if I had checked my expectations, I may have got more out of this.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
This was a buddy read with Read A Book Gem.
Reading vlog: https://youtu.be/ntJrduHQn88
This was a pretty interesting book. From the start there was some high action happening and you really get thrown into it. As I was reading, I began to realise that this was probably somewhat autobiographical, yet I don't recall that being written anywhere, we'll, not until the "About the Author" section.
The writing style was strange; it almost felt like stream of consciousness, no speech marks, long rambly sentences, that sort of thing. However, although I initally wasn't sure how I'd feel about that, I feel like it made the pacing faster and had me more absorbed.
It's cleverly woven how beautiful some of Gabriel's words are (particularly when discussing his uni lectures) in stark contrast to his interactions with his gang and their criminal activities. It was an interesting dynamic to show his two worlds, yet I found that he wasn't ever one or the other, he was always both and you could see that in the general way he lived, for example, how he would still bring up random literary comments to his friends at home, but still wear things like his grillz and talk this intense slang relating to murder, drugs, etc, in his classes/to his peers at university.
Unfortunately, I did find that after completing this book, I'm almost left wondering what the point was. I felt like it gave a really good look at the perspective of gang life in the UK and how that can be, and it was interestingly contrasted with uni life, through the perspective of Gabriel, of which had both of those going for him, simultaneously, but other than that I just felt like I was waiting for this turning point to come, and it never did.
I didn't really feel like I got the message, if there is one, and am just left feeling like I may have wasted my time reading this. But then again, real life doesn't always have a turning point or a massive happy ending and Gabriel's story isn't over. In fact, I guess he he did sort of have this turning point I was craving, but in a more subtle, everyday, realistic way. If I look at it more that way, I grasp some more merit from its telling. It is his truth, after all.
I'm thinking of watching or reading some author interviews soon, to see if I can understand a bit more where the he was going with this, because it almost felt like a diary of sorts, just glorifying these crimes he was committing and most oftentimes getting away with, and had I known that it wasn't necessarily going to be a "moral of the story" kind of outcome, or if I had checked my expectations, I may have got more out of this.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
octopus333's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
scott_you_reading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5