The Buddha of suburbia

« Chapter 11: Rehearsals for Pyke'splay begin in the spring.

Karim is one of three men and three women in the cast.

The other two men are solid, cynical actors; there's one black woman, Tracey; and a beautiful redheaded actress named Eleanor.

Louise, the writer, also attends rehearsals.

Karim notes that he's never been more enthusiastic about anything in his life.

Pyke begins every morning with breakfast and shockingly cruel gossip.

After lunch, the cast plays games where they touch each other, and Karim feels that Eleanor stays in his embrace longer than necessary. On the fourth day, Pyke plays a game that Karim finds disturbing.

Pyke tells the group he's going to make predictions about who will sleep with whom, and then read his predictions on the last night of the show.

The following week, Pyke has the actors sit and tell the rest of the cast their life story.

When Karim hears that Eleanor worked with a performance artist who stored poems in her vagina, he decides to pursue her. He calls Jamila every few days to talk about rehearsals, but she isn't impressed.

She suggests that bad things are happening at Anwar's store, but insists that Karim is too self-absorbed to care. After a few weeks, Pyke sends the actors out to begin researching characters, which Louise will then need to somehow write into a play.

Pyke dissuades Karim from choosing to portray Charlie, insisting that the play needs somebody black.

Karim decides to portray Anwar and bikes to the shop to see him.

The store looks grubby and sad, and Jeeta no longer bothers to wash off the racist graffiti.

When Karim arrives, Jeeta hugs him and tells him that if he's going to spend time with Anwar, he has to stop Anwar from going out with his walking stick.

She explains that some thugs threw a pig's head through the shop window, the police won't do anything, and now Anwar roams the streets taunting white boys to beat him.Karim goes up to Anwar in the flat and finds him in pajamas watching TV.

Anwar looks emaciated. Over the next few weeks, Karim occasionally attends mosque with Anwar and listens to him complain that Allah has abandoned him.

He also complains that Jeeta won't return to India with him.

Karim watches Jeeta and sees that she appears to have taken Jamila's example to heart: she wants to sell liquor and newspapers, and certainly doesn't want to return to India.

When Karim asks Anwar why he doesn't take Jeeta's suggestions, Anwar fatalistically says that everything is already perfect and nothing will ever get better. Karim is cheered by his progress with Eleanor.

She invites him over after rehearsal nearly daily.

Karim recognizes that something in her needs comfort, and is thrilled to be going out with someone so mature and beautiful.

However, Karim soon realizes that Eleanor only pretends she's not upper-middle class: her parents are wealthy and well known, her mother is friends with the Queen Mother, and she has no idea that she has more than most other people.

Karim recognizes that Eleanor's friends possess a particular combination of class, culture, and money.

He realizes that Eva wants to achieve this kind of class, but he believes she'll never get there.Eleanor cries every few hours and holds Karim, but she refuses to have sex with him.

Karim realizes that his rival is a man named Heater, a Scot whose purpose in life appears to be to try to ensure Eleanor's happiness.

It's a difficult job, as Karim learns quickly that Eleanor hates herself and requires a great deal of praise.

Karim consults Jamilaabout it, but Jamila insists that Eleanor is vain and self-obsessed.

However, Eleanor also cares deeply for others: she feeds Heater and buys Karim gifts, and refuses to prioritize herself when Karim suggests she should.

One night when Heater is out, Karimand Eleanor watch TV and gossip.

Karim is distracted and not listening, and Eleanor asks Karim for a kiss.

Karim notes that it was supposed to be the kiss of a lifetime, but he paid little attention to it because he was soon overwhelmed by angry thoughts.

His proximity to Eleanor and her crowd has made Karim aware that he knew nothing about anything.

He thinks that in the suburbs, boys aspire to go to work young, not go to college.

Seeing Eleanor, he realizes that Eleanor's education and class is valuable beyond belief.

He realizes that he was an idiot for walking out of college and thinks that while Eleanor has been breathing sophistication from birth, for Karim it will only be a second language.Karim also realizes that when he talks with Eleanor, her stories are far more important.

He thinks about telling her about the Great Dane, but somehow feels his past isn't important enough.

Eleanor once commented on Karim's "cute" accent, and Karim vowed then and there to lose his accent.

After his kiss with Eleanor, Karim almost falls to the floor and tries to convince Eleanor to let him stay the night.

Eleanor softly insists they can't sleep together, but won't tell Karim why.

Not long after, Pykehas the cast present their characters for the rest of the group.

After Karim performs his Anwar character, he feels for the first time as though he's on par with the rest of the group.

When they discuss the characters, Pyke asks Tracey for her opinion on Karim's character. Tracey declares that Karim is doing "black people" a disservice by playing into stereotypes that they're all fanatical, have weird habits, and no culture.

She says she can't believe Anwar would wave his stick at white boys, and doesn't care to listen to Karim's insistence that this is the portrayal of one specific old Indian man.

Karim insists that this is censorship, and Tracey insists they must protect their culture.

Pyke tells Karim he must start again. Chapter 12: Karim goes to visit Changez.

Changez is busy dusting and wearing Jamila's pink robe as Karim says that he'd like to portray Changez in his next production.

Changez is initially flattered and then suspicious, and makes Karim promise to not portray him in a bad light. Karim changes the subject and asks about Shinko.

Changezhappily shares that he and Shinko continue to experiment with sex positions.

Karim asks how Jamila feels about the prostitution thing, and Changez says that Jamila tried briefly to insist that Changez was exploiting Shinko, but after a few days, Jamila realized that Shinko was actually exploiting Changez.

Changez looks into the distance before telling Karim, with emotion, that he'd give up every sex position he's ever tried if he could kiss Jamila.Suddenly, Changez becomes angry.

He cries out that he'll make Jamila like him or he'll kill himself.

Karim offers to introduce Changez to actresses, but Changez insists that Karim has no morals.

He continues that Karim cannot use his character for the play, and Karim is forced to agree.

Karim bikes quickly to Eleanor's flat to discuss the end of his acting career; he knows no other "black" people and fears Pyke will fire him.

Heater is coming out of Eleanor's door as Karim arrives and insists that Karim must leave, as Eleanor is too depressed today.

Karim slips around Heater, locks the door, and insults him through the window.

When Karim enters Eleanor's bedroom he finds her naked and ironing shirts, crying.

She can't or won't speak and Karim thinks she's half crazy.

He unplugs the iron, puts her to bed, and notices a photo of a black man on her nightstand.

Karim settles in to think about Changez.

He realizes this is one of the first moral dilemmas he's ever faced, and notices that he's developing a sense of guilt as he gets older.

When Karim can't figure out what to do he gets up to leave, but sees that Eleanor is awake and smiling. She asks him to get in bed with her and laughs when he gets in fully clothed.

Eleanor asks him to undress and they have sex.

Karim tells the reader he was stunned by sex with Eleanor, as she did whatever she wanted when she wanted it.

They start having sex in the bathroom during rehearsal regularly, and often have sex in strange places.Sometimes, Karim is afraid of how much he loves Eleanor.

He tells the reader that his love soured quickly as he began to fear that Eleanor was in love with someone else.

It also becomes extremely important to Karim that the other actors like his new character, and he rehearses his Changezcharacter frequently.

When Karim finally performs Changez, Tracey starts to object, but Pyke insists that the play will be perfect.Karim keeps his distance from Pykeuntil one day his bike chain snaps, and Pyke begins driving Karim to and from rehearsal.

As he drives, Pyke tells Karim about his favorite hobby: attending orgies and having sex with as many women as possible who hold as many different jobs.... »