Bugger (Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Hachette)
Bugger by Michael Mohammed Ahmad (The Lebs, The Tribe) is a heart-wrenching investigation into child sex abuse. Its protagonist, Hamoodi, is an isolated 10-year-old who adores Power Rangers and lives with his mother. Bullied at school and suffering deeply from the absence of his father, Hamoodi often retreats into imaginative worlds of fantasy to escape the harsher realities of his life. In clear need of safety and protection, his vulnerability is made horrifically apparent when those closest to him begin to exploit and manipulate him. Ahmad’s energetic, image-rich prose – at times echoing the stylistic exuberance of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children – amplifies both the wonder and the dread of Hamoodi’s inner world. Just as Roddy Doyle used the fractured intimacy of the first-person child narrator in Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, Ahmad similarly immerses readers in Hamoodi’s consciousness, resulting in a believable and sympathetic protagonist. Key events are revealed through the intelligent yet unsuspecting lens of Hamoodi’s young logic, highlighting the upsetting gap between what the child protagonist understands and what the adult reader perceives. Although Hamoodi displays an awareness beyond a realistic 10-year-old’s abilities, Ahmad’s overall depiction of the insidious, often hidden dynamics of abuse is powerful and meticulously realised. Bugger is an expertly crafted novel that depicts the insidious nature of child sex abuse. It will resonate with readers drawn to emotionally confronting, voice-driven literary fiction, particularly fans of Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain and Anne Enright’s The Gathering.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 1800RESPECT on 0458 737 732, or visit www.1800respect.org.au.
Books+Publishing reviewer: Alex Durac is a writer and editor. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.
Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.
Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews
