In Our Mad and Furious City

For Selvon, Ardan and Yusuf growing up under the towers of Stones Estate, summer means what it does anywhere: football, music and freedom.  But after the killing of a British soldier, riots are spreading across the city, while Yusuf's mosque is swept up in a wave of radicalism he can no longer outrun. Caroline, haunted by memories of her flight from Belfast, and Nelson, veteran of fifties Notting Hill, sense the approaching danger, but can do little to avert it.  For the three young friends who dream of a future beyond the Ends they've been raised in, suddenly everything is at stake.

About the author

Guy Gunaratne grew up in Neasden, London, and is a writer, video artist and filmmaker. He has previously worked as a video journalist covering post-conflict areas around the world.  He was shortlisted for the 4th Estate/Guardian Books B4ME Short Story Prize.

The judges on the shortlist

Elif Shafak on In Our Mad and Furious City

Running over the course of two intense days, with its compelling characters and exceptional storytelling, In Our Mad and Furious City is brimming with energy, intelligence and chutzpah. From extremism to vulnerability, freedom to friendship, masculinity to the fragility of being a human, social inequality to riots spreading across the city. . . . Gunaratne's novel is unflinching in its portrayal of London and its scowling youth. Realistic, gritty, and yet with a tenderness at its heart that never loses its credibility, this is an unforgettable novel. 

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