London for Immigrant Suckers was recommended to me by http://www.TheFussyLibrarian.com, a website that pairs readers with their favorite genres, and promotes e-books of authors with at least 10 reviews.
A Unique Inside-the-Head Perspective of the Immigrant Experience
London for Immigrant Suckers tells the story of Peter Kovach, a Bosnian who immigrated to the UK prior to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Peter’s reflections on life in Bosnia, as well as his experiences as an immigrant living in London, are illuminating as well as humorous.
The book reads like a person for whom English is a second language would speak. It contains errors in verb agreement and usage of idioms. At times this becomes distracting. It’s hard to tell if it’s intentional or is due to a lack of copy editing. Whatever the case, the style of writing offers the reader a unique inside-the-head perspective of the immigrant experience. And, it conveys to the reader the tensions involved in acclimating to a new culture, while resolving issues relating to the indigenous culture left behind.
Nationalist Factions Threatened to Undermine Yugoslavia
Peter had served his time in the army and then attended university in Banja Luka in 1990. During his stay in Banja Luka, nationalist factions threatened to undermine Yugoslavian unity under Ante Markovik. He reflects on the source of the division:
Bosnia is a pretty little place which is inhabited by good people. All the major battles in WWII that included Yugoslavs were fought in Bosnia. Yugoslavia was born in Bosnia and she lived there. Serbia is inhabited by the Serbs and the rest, Croatia with the Croats and the rest, Slovenia with the Slovenians and the rest, and Bosnia is inhabited only with the rest.
It makes sense to Peter’s best friends why the voters choose their own respective national ethnic parties over Markovik’s unified party. However, Peter has just lost a bet that things would stay the same. And, he’s at a loss to understand it.
Winter Will Come Again and the House is Still Unlivable
‘But it doesn’t make sense’ Peter noted, ‘if three of us build a house to protect ourselves from winter and then when spring comes, one takes the windows, another the doors, and the third takes the roof and we all go our own way, what was the point of building the house in the first place?’
‘You said it yourself, the point was to protect yourself from winter,’ answered Mladen.
‘Yes, but winter will come again, and the house is now unliveable, without windows and doors and a roof, you see that doesn’t make sense.’
We Have No Reason to Change…It All Works Well Here
‘Yes, but maybe you don’t want to go back to that house again, the thing has changed, Europe has changed, no more Cold War; Polish, Romanian, Czech, everything has changed now, do you really think that we can stay untouched?’
‘They had to change it, they had it bad, we have no reason to change anything, it all works well here.’
Maybe, but the Wall has fallen, now when the Germans are together do you think that they will leave us alone? I don’t think so.’
‘Listen Prince of Passion, don’t worry about changes, we’ll deal with them when they come, why don’t you just take us for a beer now before anything is changed here?’ Dean concluded the conversation.
On an Impulse, Peter Moves to London to Live in Alisa’s Flat
Peter had finished his second year at university and was in dead-end relationships with two women. On an impulse, he moved to London after his friend Aida introduced him to Alisa. Alisa had come home from London for a visit. And, she’d invited him to stay at her flat if he ever decided to relocate to the UK.
For the next twenty years, Peter negotiates through the British system to find housing and employment. He washes dishes and eventually works as a bar manager and bar tender. He also wanders in and out of relationships with women.
First he marries Ann, who doesn’t want to be his girlfriend but is willing to help him sort out his visa problem. When Ann moves to Canada and asks for a divorce, he settles for Freya, who agrees to write his papers for him while he’s studying at university to qualify for educational aid offered to immigrants in the UK.
Freya becomes pregnant and bears him two sons, who he shows little interest in due to a depression which has overtaken him and will persist throughout the boys’ childhoods.
Peter Becomes a Recluse…While Freya Goes to Work
Peter becomes a recluse. He watches television and reads his Yugoslav books and newspapers, while Freya goes to work and the boys are at school.
He blames the conflict in Bosnia on the international community, Germany and Britain included. He criticizes them for recognizing and supporting the breakaway republics. For he’s convinced those actions made war inevitable and brought the downfall of Yugoslav identity. Identity, Peter believes, was the only thing binding the disparate groups together.
The outcome of the war causes Peter’s bitterness. He firmly believes that his parents and friends who remained there could have averted the dissolution of Yugoslavia. If only they had not supported their own nationalistic groups within Bosnia!
He Makes a Trip Back to Bosnia Where He Visits His Parents
Freya eventually demands a divorce and moves out, leaving Peter to assess his life. He makes a trip back to Bosnia, where he visits his parents. They have become impoverished from the war. However, his mother has stashed away most of the cash he has sent them over the years.
Peter meets up with his old friends–one a Croat, one a Muslim, and one a Serb. Each fought for his own faction, adapting to the realities that war had thrust upon them. For a brief time, they all come together as friends to reminisce and relive the old days. And, from his brief visit home, Peter discovers how profoundly his country has changed.
He leaves his parents with the assurance that one of his friends will oversee the renovation of their dilapidated home. He’d stay longer and do it himself, but he bought a ticket to the US. That’s where he intends to go after settling his affairs in the UK.
An Honest Account of a Man Displaced From His Native Country
The book is an honest account of a man displaced from his native country where Muslims, Croats, and Serbs find it impossible to live together. Ironically, as Peter makes a new home in the UK among the exiles from Yugoslavia, he finds a place where these same ethnicities coexist peacefully. London for Immigrant Suckers is a compelling story It is also an extensive history lesson on the war in Bosnia.
For additional reviews of historical novels, see A Gentleman in Moscow .
Thank you for a thorough review. My friend told me to look out for this book, but he mentioned that it’s very funny. Your review shows it in a different light; political, serious, potentially depressive. I’m confused now.
Thanks for your response. There is a great deal of humor in the book. However, the subject is a serious one and the main character does suffer from depression. That said, I probably emphasized the historical aspect to the detriment of other parts in my review, simply because that’s what interests me. Also, there is a lot written about the character’s life that I did not touch upon in my review. It’s a complex book and worth reading.
Thanks. I look forward to reading it.