"Two Caravans" is a story told from the prospective of a group of migrant workers who are seeking a better life in UK. The story starts in a strawberry field, where they are hired to be strawberry pickers. Picking strawberries by day and staying in two caravans by night -- one for the ladies, one for the guys, and hence the title "Two Caravans" -- the group is soon separated due to a rash of events that eventually cause them to journey across England in pursuit of their dreams.
Along the way, the group separates. Three return to their homeland, one succeeds in finding his sister, two get together, two go to another city for greener work pastures and the villainous one dies in a haze of gunfire when his business associates turn on him.
Then there is Dog. I capitalised "Dog" on purpose because throughout the book he is known only by that name. Dog has his own narrative as well, and it gets quite funny because his narratives are always written in caps, in "comic sans ms font" and awfully simple, a really amusing attempt to recreate his canine thoughts. Dog eventually dies from gun wounds (from the same gun fight) while attempting to save Irina.
Two Caravans is a deceptively easy book to read. I raced through it in 3 days while reading during bus trips. Notwithstanding, there are interesting themes to ponder as well, the migrant worker's plight and search for a better life being the most obvious one, I guess. Although the novel is written in a light manner, one cannot fail to see the suffering and indignities migrant workers have to go through, from being conned by agents, paid an absurdly low wage, hardly any rights to speak of, etc.
Since this is a novel told from the perspective of the various migrant workers, the theme of relationships is also a prevalent one. I caught myself grinning a couple of times at the characters' internal interpretation of what the other party is about, with a lot of guesswork, assumption, unfounded jealousy often clouding their judgment and leading to further misunderstandings. Irina's comparison of her budding romance to the characters in Tolstoy's War and Peace never failed to crack me up.
The story ends on a happy note, with Andriy and Irina together, ready to face the uncertain world. Another journey, of sorts.
Along the way, the group separates. Three return to their homeland, one succeeds in finding his sister, two get together, two go to another city for greener work pastures and the villainous one dies in a haze of gunfire when his business associates turn on him.
Then there is Dog. I capitalised "Dog" on purpose because throughout the book he is known only by that name. Dog has his own narrative as well, and it gets quite funny because his narratives are always written in caps, in "comic sans ms font" and awfully simple, a really amusing attempt to recreate his canine thoughts. Dog eventually dies from gun wounds (from the same gun fight) while attempting to save Irina.
Two Caravans is a deceptively easy book to read. I raced through it in 3 days while reading during bus trips. Notwithstanding, there are interesting themes to ponder as well, the migrant worker's plight and search for a better life being the most obvious one, I guess. Although the novel is written in a light manner, one cannot fail to see the suffering and indignities migrant workers have to go through, from being conned by agents, paid an absurdly low wage, hardly any rights to speak of, etc.
Since this is a novel told from the perspective of the various migrant workers, the theme of relationships is also a prevalent one. I caught myself grinning a couple of times at the characters' internal interpretation of what the other party is about, with a lot of guesswork, assumption, unfounded jealousy often clouding their judgment and leading to further misunderstandings. Irina's comparison of her budding romance to the characters in Tolstoy's War and Peace never failed to crack me up.
The story ends on a happy note, with Andriy and Irina together, ready to face the uncertain world. Another journey, of sorts.
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