The Go-Between

The Go-Between by Osman Yousefzada

Reviewed by Mimi
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Thank you @canongatebooks for this book!

I've re-written the review for this book so many times as I have struggled to articulate quite what the experience of reading it was like. There have been a few "culture-clash" accounts in recent times and I am grateful for them. They are a snapshot of a life and a story that needs to be told. The Go-Between was unique in many ways.

Osman Yousefzada comes to the UK with his Afghan parents and settles in Birmingham. Osman is raised in a household that uphold many traditional values. In the background, his mother is illiterate and his sisters are taken out of school when they hit puberty. Being linked with a girl is the ultimate shame and the idea of him being educated is alien.

This account was powerful, and some points harrowing and I was grateful to get an insight of his experiences growing up. I think understanding where someone has come from is incredibly important and only by knowing what someone has come through as a child can you fully appreciate them as an adult.

Thank you Osman for the honesty in this account. It was a privilege to read.