'Look We Have Coming to Dover' by Daljit Nagra - A Review

 

Isn't it great to be Indian?

Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre - poetry (not sure how to define genre in poetry)

Themes - identity, immigration, freedom vs constraint, racism, patriotism, grief, love (it really depends on the poem )

Similar Books - 'Chinglish' - Sue Cheung, 'Dollar Bahu' - Sudha Murty

Apologies for the four week long hiatus. That's a month. You lot, if anyone reads this, should be very offended for such neglect. I for one am a bit embarrassed by my lack of writing - and reading. I'm one book behind my goal of 50 books according to GoodReads. But fear not for I am back and I hope not to ignore 'Book Me Books' for so long again. Or my books. 

I said I wanted to read different types of literature, so I've done plays and classics. Now I do poetry. 'Look We Have Coming to Dover' is a poetry anthology by British-Indian poet Daljit Nagra, recounting his experiences of growing up Indian in a rather hostile England. The poems range from fictional personas to deeply personal poetry, exploring the struggle of growing up brown: enduring racism, self hatred and coming to terms with this shared identity of being both Indian and British. I'm Indian myself so I found some of these poems really relatable but also eye-opening. In poems such as 'Bibi & the Streetcar Wife' and 'The Speaking of Bagwinder Singh Sagoo' Nagra explores the freedom which can be found in Western culture, especially for women, far removed from the strict moral standards in India. Poems such as 'For The Wealth of India' and 'My Father's Dream of Return' perfectly grasp the immigrant experience, the life one expects moving to a developed country such as the UK, the social status this provides back in India, but also the yearning to go back home, triumphant and successful. Poetry is considered a deeply emotional and introspective form of Literature, and Nagra's poetry reflects this. Some are humorous but other are poignant and heartfelt, and I enjoyed the emotional experience this anthology provided. 

If you're looking for more Literature about immigration and dual cultural experiences, 'Chinglish' by Sue Cheung and 'Dollar Bahu' by Sudha Murty (which I've written about, although not a great article) may be what you're looking for. 'Chinglish' explores cultural identity in a similar way 'Look We Have Coming to Dover' does, the divide between one's original heritage (in this case Hong Kong) and where they live (the UK again). 'Dollar Bahu' also takes a look at the immigrant experience and the brutal reality of it.

Immigration is a timeless topic, especially in today's political climate, so Nagra's poetry still holds relevance even after 18 years of its publication (yes I did the maths). So for its eye-opening and heartfelt poetry I give 'Look We Have Coming to Dover' five stars.