Reviews

Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze

urbanite's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

200suns's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

griffinbibliophile's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

4.75

terrypaulpearce's review

5.0

This is a gut punch. A wake-up call. A damn good read. Sad, bad, mad and very dangerous to know if you are comfortable in your bubble right now. It's like The Corner, but for 2020s Britain, and told in a searing voice that you won't forget. Searing, that's a good word for this, yeah. Searing.

spinstah's review against another edition

3.0

The language kept me going here, but I wanted more reflection from the narrator. You get a little bit at the end, but it felt like an obligatory nod. I think I’m struggling with that because this is technically fiction but set up for the reader to assume it’s autobiographical.

nickymaund's review against another edition

1.0

I was really keen to read this one as I’d seen rave reviews and also that it was long listed for the Booker Prize. So I dived in.

I’m really sorry to say that this book was not for me at all. I really struggled to engage with the main character (this is apparently an autobiographical account of Krauze’s time as a youth in a London gang) and the events and shenanigans that he got up to. There just didn’t seem to be any storyline other than rehashing his robbing, thieving and drug dealing whilst trying to get an English degree.

This book felt like it was glorifying violence and gang behaviour. This was a hard read on two accounts: one because it was hard to understand the gang-speak, and two because of the content (retelling of events and detail of violence inflicted to his victims, attitudes to the victims and women he came across). Be warned there content warnings galore with this one.

laurjor's review

dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

midnightcitizen's review against another edition

4.0

Brutalna, ogoljena i savremena priča sa vrhunskim prevodom koji prenosi svaki otkucaj srca verzije Londona koja često nije u prvom planu.

octavia_l's review against another edition

3.0

It took me a while to get into this book as the slang language used was not something that I was always familiar with or understood. At times this was not an easy read - especially for those who are squeamish but I appreciated the raw honesty in the novel and getting an insight into the side of London I am not always exposed to.
This is not a novel I'd reach for to reread but I would be interested to see what Krauze writes next, especially off the back of being nominated for the Booker Prize Longlist 2020 with 'Who They Was'.

"It’s mad how you can live in a city and never see any of this. Or you just see faint smudges of it every now and again around the edges of your existence but even then you don’t fully believe in it, because even though we live in the same city, where I’m from and where you’re from could be two totally separate worlds."

nancywoolly's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25