A review by anetq
Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan

2.0

Srange and disjointed (bits of) stories - I struggled to get through as it lacks real story, or it’s stories fail to captivate me. On the surface it does tell the story of immigrant men or boys struggling to survive and have anything resembling a live in the Emirates, where everyone but the arab speaking Emirati are almost subhumans in a society where their lives can be messed with as it pleases the übermensch ‘natives’. It is also the story of the struggles and internal strife and business of living poor in a hostile environment. And of mens lust and debauchery. Women do not exist except for a few hookers, wifes and harassed (or raped) women and children, and frankly none of the characters are sympathetic. While this says something about the circumstances for the hordes of people keeping the Emirates working is it also a not very likeable book. Doesn’t help that the writing is wordy whether it pretends to be the voice of the uneducated or fables about cockroaches taking over buildings. There is plenty to analyze for the students in literary classes, and literary praise awaits, I’m sure - however I found it a very annoying and unpleasurable read. Took me three months and a stubborn streak to get through it!