I decided to tackle some more of the books on my bookshelf TBR rather than books from other sources for my next read. I was at a bit of a loss as to what to pick next so I decided to give the first book on the top shelf a go. After moving a stuffed toy that was in the way I was faced with Beach Boy by Ardashir Vakil. At first I thought that this was a book I found on an aircraft quite a few years ago but on closer inspection it has an Oxfam shop sticker on it so I must have purchased it at some point. Regardless, I sat down with this book knowing nothing at all about it and hoping I had found a gem.

The book is written from the point of view of a young Parsi boy, about 8 or 9 called Cyrus Readymoney and it is set in 1970's Bombay. Cyrus is a very independent boy from quite a rich family and he tends to spend a lot of time away from his parents. Late at night he is often still round his friend's houses and he bunks off school to partake in his hobby, watching movies. The parents of his friends tolerate him in varying degrees but they all give the feeling that they think he is a bit of a bad influence. Cyrus doesn't come across as a bad lad, he's a bit of a rascal and is clearly in need of some guidance and discipline.

As the book progresses it becomes clear that he is discovering girls and that the relationship between his parents is falling apart. In a lot of ways this does not seem to phase him too much, I guess he is too young to appreciate the gravity of the situation. These changes gain a head of steam until we reach a surprising outcome and his world is changed forever. Everything is described with the innocence of young combined with his cheeky, inquisitive way of looking at life.

For a while I wondered if I was going to make it through the book as it seems to spend a long time meandering no-where. In particular, there is a long section of the book describing a tennis match Cyrus has with another young boy during a tournament. This is a game that both he and his mother think he can win but instead of building to a climax it drones on and on for ages. There is also a huge preoccupation with food and every single chapter mentions food numerous times. At first this was quite charming but after a while it becomes a bit monotonous. If it wasn't for these things I think I would have enjoyed the book more. That's not to say that it's a bad book though, the descriptions of the various cities in India and how they all have their own energy I particularly enjoyed and Cyrus is quite a likeable character. ( )

some pleasure in reading this fine story seen through the eyes of a young boy ( )

Set in Mumbai, the protagonist leads us through his average young adolecent life. Slow, lacking sparkle, I had no empathy with any of the characters. I should have stopped at the onanistic part. ( )

The book started off reasonably well but the overly descriptive descriptions should have sounded alarm bells as I turned to page 2. Perhaps Beach Boy would appeal to all those homesick Mumbai-kars who grew up in Mumbai but have been displaced to other lands - be warned of an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, maybe?

Vakil does a great job of introducing a number of interesting characters and premises - seemed promising, I thought. But overall a pointless plot. ( )

A wonderful portrait. ( )