Sathnam Sanghera was born in Wolverhampton in 1976, the fourth child of first generation immigrants. His autobiography is a fascinating account of 1980s life seen through the eyes of a Sikh family coming to terms with schizophrenia and the changing world around them.
Punjabi life in Wolverhampton
Sathnam's parents had a traditional arranged marriage with no contact before they first met. A relevant fact, as one glance at a faded photograph was unlikely to reveal the reality of her marriage and family life for Sathnam’s mother. This highlights one of the remarkable features of this book. Despite being brought up in the Midlands, his parents and his mother in particular, strove to replicate as many aspects of Punjabi and Sikh life as is possible in the rather grey world of the West Midlands. This extends to the topknot that is the bane of Sathnam’s life until a fit, albeit a quiet one, of teenage rebellion.
The Shock of a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia
However, there is much more to this book than a tale of family life and cultural differences. This is an interwoven and detailed account of Sathnam’s desire to get to the bottom of his father and latterly his sister’s behaviour. Extensive research into the family memory – written records are scarce – and persistent attempts to delve into medical records reveal that his father was diagnosed with schizophrenia early in their married life. But, the family remained largely ignorant of its manifestations and even the name of his diagnosis until Sathnam’s revelations.
This may have been unhelpful in the early days of a violent and troubled marriage but, as the disease is brought more under control, Sathnam’s father is assimilated into family life. This point is made when the difference between Western and Asian family life is discussed. The acceptance of chronic mental illness in the all-encompassing way of Asian families and the lack of similarly strong family structures in many Western families is gently aired.
Pressure to Commit to an Arranged Marriage
Strong family values do have their disadvantages particularly when Sathnam is put under increasing pressure to follow a traditional way of life, at odds with the country of his birth. His mother emerges as the stalwart figure of love, and often control, in Sathnam’s life. Yet, there is no animosity towards her in this book, despite her increasing pressure on him to enter into an arranged marriage. In fact the book is begun out of a desire to present his Western lifestyle – with girlfriends – in a truthful fashion to his mother.
The relationship with his mother is strong and there is no doubt that this is one built on love and trust. His, often, self-deprecating accounts of his ‘coming out’ are told with affection and with some humour. Despite the desperate nature of the mental illness that surrounds him at times, there is a strong vein of humour running through the whole book.
Hard to Put Down?
This is a fascinating book whichever angle you consider it from. It has much to say about the nature of life as an immigrant, life in a large family and life with schizophrenia. Sathnam Sanghera has received fulsome praise for tackling some difficult topics head-on with a light, appealing and compassionate touch.
About the Author
Sathnam Sanghera was born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands (UK) in 1976. After attending Wolverhampton Grammar School, he was awarded a first class degree in English Literature from Christ’s College, Cambridge.
He joined the Financial Times in 1998 as a feature writer and columnist, before moving to The Times in 2007.
The Boy with the Topknot is his first book and was short-listed for the Costa Biography Award 2008.
He lives in London, UK.
Sathnam Sanghera. The Boy with the Topknot. Penguin 2009. ISBN 978-0-141-02859-0
Catherine Whitlock - After some fun years in medical research poring over a microscope, I now write about the scientific wonders that others have magnified.I ...
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