The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota

The Year of the Runaways

Sunjeev Sahota

The courage of four illegal Indian immigrants is charted during the course of one year. As the youngsters struggle to survive in England, their dreams of riches fall tragically short. This is a powerful tale which gives voice to the plight of those forced to flee their roots in search of a better life. The modern approach to a contentious issue was told with such feeling, that I couldn't fail to feel deep empathy for all those involved.

Extract
Tochi said it wasn’t the money.
'What use your pride when we find you dead in the street?'
But it wasn’t pride either. Or not just pride. It was a desire to be allowed a say in his life. He wondered if this was selfish; whether, in fact, they were right and he should simply recognize his place in this world.
Parallels
  • The Peacock Throne by Sujut Saraf
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini