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You Don't Know Me

19/8/2021

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You Don't Know Me
Imran Mahmood

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Today's #RecommendedRead is the fantastic You Don't Know Me, the debut novel by barrister Imran Mahmood. Praised highly when it was first released, this is one of the most original takes on the crime genre that I have read in recent years.


The entire book is a first-person narrative told as the closing speech by a defendant in a murder trial. The protagonist is a young black man from London accused of the murder of another young man, in what the prosecution are portraying as a feud between rival gang members. Against the advice of his barrister, the defendant takes to the stand to address the jury directly. Over the course of several days, he tries to convince those with his future in their hands that what they assume is just another killing is so much more.
A nervous and inexperienced defendant, he struggles at times to describe the world he lives in. A world with its own rules and hierarchies far different from that experienced by the judge, jury and lawyers (and by extension the reader).

Mahmood is a barrister of many years experience and it shows. Unlike other courtroom dramas, there are no interjections by defence or prosecution counsel, the whole story is essentially a monologue, broken only by the natural breaks of the court's timings.

By telling it in this way, Mahmood plays with the perceptions of the reader. My feelings toward this young man constantly switched from disbelief to sympathy, to frustration at his choices and empathy for his circumstances. At times I felt despair for those trapped in this world, at other times I admit to a degree of contempt for the way in which the culture he and his peers are part of ignore wider societal norms.
It's not a comfortable read by any measure, yet it is compelling, and as his tale unfolds I found myself challenging some of my own preconceptions.
"You don't know me" indeed!
A true #RecommendedRead.
Update: I've just heard it has been adapted for TV. This will be one to watch!
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    Paul's Recommended Reads.

    Welcome to my reccomendations page.

    Here you will only find reviews of books that I have enjoyed, and think others will also.

    If a story doesn't grab me, it won't feature on here.

    The books featured will be a mixture of new releases, old favourites and books that have sat on the 'Too Be Read' pile for longer than they should have.

    I hope you see something that you enjoy, so please do feel free to comment on here or on social media.

    Disclosure: I regard some of the authors featured here as friends. I promise that I only include a book if I genuinely liked it, not because I know the writer!

    All content copyright Paul Gitsham 2020-23

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