I posted last week about unreliable narrators and it got me thinking about other memorable narrators. The one that has really stuck in my memory is Harri from Pigeon English. The pigeon is excellent as well of course but it's Harri that I can still 'hear' to this day. His turns of phrase, his tone, all still as fresh and sparky in my mind now 5 or 6 years since reading it.
I have many other favourites but Harri stands out. He's unforgettable.
You could tell what was going to happen from the beginning, but that tragic inevitability and the way the violence insidiously permeated the life of this lovely boy still shook me. He was a great kid, playing detective with his friend, and the everyday, almost banal acceptance of the gang violence in the community contraindicated the person he should have been.People just kill people as if it's ok, and that's the way it is - asweh, can we stop it?