How do we perceive young South Asians in the UK today? More importantly, how do they perceive themselves? Are young Asian men the drug-taking, flick-knife wielding, confused teenagers with culture-ridden angst? Or are they actually more self-assured, culturally appreciative than we imagine? Are the topics of discussion among Asians girls still arranged marriages, retaining virginity until marriage and respecting your elders until death, or have we reached a stage in multicultural Britain where young (teenage) Asians can make their own considered life choices, comfortable in their cultural skin? I ask these questions because Bali Rai's new novel 'Rani & Sukh' is meant to be a reflection of Punjabi culture in modern Britain.

Sukh Bains, a teenager falls in love with Rani Sandhu in a fairly typical boy-meets-girl at school scenario. Little do they know, that their love story reflects a similar tale between others in their families in 1960s Punjab. One that ended in tragedy and founded a long-standing blood feud between the 'Bains' and the 'Sandhus'.

Rai's treatment of the Sandhu family echoes that in his earlier novel '(Un)arranged Marriage'. There is the tyrannical father, the poorly educated thuggish older brother, the submissive mother and the "wronged" daughter (Rani) who risks an affair despite her strict upbringing. Rai's observations about the Sandhu traditional family unit are that it does not work in modern day Leicester with Rani seemingly being led astray by her (white) friend, Natalie.

Interestingly, the Bains family is cast in a much more sympathetic light. Sukh's parents are affluent, living in a larger house in a wealthier suburb of Leicester, and his sister Parvy has eschewed marriage for an international career in consulting. Parvy lives in her own flat in town and it becomes the rendezvous for Rani & Sukh's secret assignations until the fateful day when Rani discovers she is pregnant.

This happens at about the same time as Rani's family discover she has a boyfriend and Parvy reveals the reason for the forty-year-old blood feud between the families to the hapless teen couple. The climax of the tale is pure melodrama, and this, along with the slightly polarised view of Punjabi society is what is wrong with this book.

The novel veers in styles between straightforward narrative to what can only be described as a film script. The characters also lack credibility. Natalie is akin to a Keira Knightley's character 'Jules' in Gurinder Chadha's 'Bend It Like Beckham'. Young, pretty, feisty and intelligent - and with a dialogue that I certainly didn't recognise - Natalie proves a far steadier friend than the self-obsessed Rani. In this tale, it is Rani who leads herself astray in the pursuit of hormonal lust, although the author dresses it up as pure, innocent love.

Bali Rai, the author, is undoubtedly talented. And he writes about subjects that few others broach in their books. He has taken the trouble to explain the Punjabi social culture, but then ruins it by focussing on stereotypes for whom drinking, football and violence are the only social mores. One-dimensional characters do a disservice to the community and to an otherwise interesting story. Rai's analysis of what izzat (honour) means in Punjabi society lacks depth and fails to explain the factors that fuel a forty-year old feud. His characters, other than the misunderstood teenagers of course, seem incapable of compassion, honesty or intelligence, creating a chasm between the generations.

If there was a checklist for writing the perfect book, then Rai has certainly ticked as many boxes as possible. He writes for the under-served teenage generation, the narrative is set in modern Britain, in a small community that he knows a lot about and he does not stray beyond the bounds of credulity until the very end. But as I read this book, I could not help but contrast it to Hanif Kureishi's character 'Karim' in 'The Buddha of Suburbia' and even Gurinder Chadha's film 'Bend it Like Beckham'. In the latter, cinema goers loved the rounded, credible characters; Jess's cricket-loving father, her aloo-gobi cooking mother, both of whom are almost transformed at the end of the film. They too may have been stereotypes, but their love of their children (Jess & Pinky) allowed their viewpoint to be changed. They put the happiness of their children before their own traditional outlook. This happens everyday, for a lot of Asians parents. The film may have had a typical "schmaltzy" ending, but it certainly has a lot more credibility than Rai's ending in 'Rani & Sukh'.

Rai allows cynicism in his adult characters, but only divine hope and pure love in his teenage ones - hardly reflective of Asian teenagers that I know. 'Rani & Sukh' will undoubtedly strike a chord in Asian teenagers, not least for tackling the difficult subject of teenage pregnancy. It may even be a revelation to non-Asians everywhere. But as a piece of pure story telling, I am left hoping that there is a lot better to come from this very promising author.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bali Rai has written two previous books '(Un)Arranged Marriage' and 'The Crew'. '(Un)Arranged Marriage' was shortlisted for a variety of awards and won The Stockport Children's Book Award, The Angus Children's Books Award and The Leicester Children's Book Award.

Having grown up in the heart of Leicester's Sikh community, he went to University in London to study politics. He has since returned to his home town, managed a city centre bar for some time and then turned to writing full-time.

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