Corner Shop

by Roopa Farooki

Jahrelang hat der Charmeur Zaki seine Familie mit seinem kleinen Laden über Wasser gehalten. Jetzt will er den Laden schließen und endlich auch die eigenen Träume ausleben. Aber da ist Delphine, seine Schwiegertochter, die aus ihrer Ehe ausbrechen will und sich nach leidenschaftlicher Liebe sehnt - ausgerechnet mit ihm! Und sein Enkel Lucky braucht Zaki und seinen Laden mehr denn je - Drei Menschen und ihre Sehnsüchte. Und keiner von ihnen ahnt, wie wahr das Sprichwort ist: Sei vorsichtig mit deinen Wünschen - sie könnten in Erfüllung gehen.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, Bangladesh, India, Soccer, London

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Roopa was brought up in London and graduated from New College in Oxford in 1995. She worked in advertising and it 2004 quit to write full time. She now lives in south east London and south west France with her husband and two sons. Bitter Sweets is her first novel and in 2007 it was nominated for the Orange Award for New Writer.

Her second novel, Corner Shop was released in October 2008 and her third novel is due in 2009.

Reviews

[Mommalovesbaby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that I was tempted to put down after the first chapter, midway through, and even toward the end. It was slow and did not have much substance.

The author seems to have only one point that is mentioned over and over. The point? That there are only two tragedies in life, one is not getting what you always wanted and the other is getting it.
Every character in the book ultimately comes to this sacchrine "wisdom".

The real tragedy of these characters is that they apparently have it all: health, family, careers, lives without want, and yet have no appreciation. All of the characters seem petty and small living their lives in a great selfish depression. The main characters are unhappy because they "got" what they wanted in their lives. The only other character types in the book are the martyrs that put up with the egotistical depressed main characters.

Ultimately, it was a slow and agonizing read that droned on and on. The point of the novel drilled, hammered and nailed in such a way that only a nitwit couldn't get it. Yet, a point perhaps not really worth making over and over. I kept waiting for at least one of the characters to reach a point of self-actualization and realize that there is much more to life than getting what you want. There is a whole world outside of ourselves.

I would rate this book at somewhere between a one to two stars

[Marjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al best n " oud" boek wat ik toevallig tegenkwam in n openbare boekenkast.
Schrijfstijl vond ik even wennen maar beviel me uiteindelijk goed.
Leuk verhaal, leest lekker weg. Ik nam m mee op vakantie 🙃

[Margaret Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story, clever story telling

[Lie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kleine dromen, grote gevolgen.
Leuk wegdromen....

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delphine könnte eigentlich mehr als zufrieden sein. Ihr Mann Jinan ist ein erfolgreicher Rechtsanwalt, der sie über alles liebt und Sohn Lucky erfüllt alle Voraussetzungen für eine Karriere als Fußballprofi. Doch Delphine muss noch immer an ihren Ex Zaki denken, der tückischerweise auch ihr Schwiegervater ist und der einzige Mann, bei dem sie sich glücklich fühlt.

Ich habe mich sehr schnell in die Geschichte eingelesen und war fasziniert. Delphine, die ihren Mann betrügt auf der Suche nach Liebe, die ihr eigenes Herz höher schlagen lässt. Jinan der lieber Scheuklappen aufsetzt als Delphine zu verlieren. Der Schwerenöter Zaki, dem ich nicht böse sein konnte, für sein unmoralisches Handeln. Der aufgehende Stern Lucky, der nicht nur seinen Traum verfolgt, sondern auch mit seiner ersten Beziehung konfrontiert wird. Ich musste einfach immer weiter lesen, weil ich unbedingt erfahren wollte, wie dieses Buch endet.

[Baljit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Farooki's style; she take a few ordinary characters,colours in some details and lets the story flow. There is no convoluted plot or subplots, no flowery prose....but sublime messages of life.

Here is Zaki, a jaded middle-aged Asian man running a corner shop. He's uncoventional, a gambler, a ladies man, a drifter...marked by a tragedy in his youth, feeling jaded and tired of life. His son, Jinan is his v anthesesis; succesful, organised, ambitious but somewhat lacking in soul. They both love Delphine. Delphine who left rural France to find herself...and she's still looking.
And Lucky Khalil, dreaming of success in football and his sophisticated sweetheart, Portia.

[Rich Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - an engaging story with surprising twists, and flawed and funny characters that really stayed with me. And a fascinating, disquieting study of the nature of wants and desires. Really recommend you read it.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting family! Lucky Khalil dreams of being a famous soccer star and he seemingly has the potential. His grandfather, Zaki, who runs a corner shop in London, is supportive but not the best role model for how one should set about achieving his goals. His father, Jinan, makes for a good role model but is completely disinterested in Lucky's passion for soccer. Mom, Delphine, loves her son but is majorly conflicted about her own life. These are flawed, funny characters working out whether it is good or bad to achieve your heart's desires. With a twist and turn here and there, this was an enjoyable read.

[Juanxo Ram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo que no me gustó es que sea una novela romántica. Quiero decir, que se centre tan especialmente en el apartado amoroso de los protagonistas (a excepción quizá del sueño de Lucky, que aún así influyó expresamente en su relación con Portia). Todo lo que no tiene que ver con un sueño o con el amor está relegado a un tercer plano en la novela. No soy ni tan romántico ni tan tolerante con el romanticismo como para que eso me parezca bueno.
Desde otro punto de vista, quizá subyazca en el libro esa idea de que el romanticismo en realidad solo sirve para frustrar aspiraciones.

[John Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel about a son, mother, and grandfather and their different dreams and romantic entanglements. The theme of the book is a quote from Oscar Wilde about there being only tragedies: getting exactly what you dreamed for and never getting it. The characters are all flawed but quite enjoyable and the book has a lot of different plot turns. The plot line with the mother ends too soon, but otherwise a very enjoyable book. I will look for more book by her.

[Jennsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started well with some interesting characters and situations, but it went in a completely different direction at the end and became less interesting. There is also a lack of accountability and immatureness of some of the characters, and it’s never really concluded on the story lines. I was hoping for better.

[Deviki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books I've read and provided detailed reviews over the years but all data is lost after accidental deletion and GD refuse to restore it back.

Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes

[Terry Kinane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t finish it. Very disappointing as I’ve read other books by rupa farooki which were far superior.

[Jane Baron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did she have to stick in the 'chick lit' section??

[Aziza Aouhassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il n'existe que deux tragédies dans la vie; celle de ne pas réaliser son rêve et celle de le réaliser. "oscar wild

[Hans Kukreja]

Complex, and weird. Explores thoughts and mental health and clash of personalities and culture, but not of race as much. However, can relate to the tragedy

[Sapna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded to 4 stars. Quite enjoyed the book but would have preferred to not have the chapter near the end about the "future."

[Subashini · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a straight forward book and quite an engaging read. Whether, I enjoyed it or not is another matter altogether. "In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it" a quote by Oscar Wilde is the crux of the story. The plot revolves around 3 generation of Khalil family who resides in London. What happens when they get or reached their dreams? How they decide to live their life after attaining their desire, forms the rest of the story. The only person who attains his dreams & happy about it is Jinan, a hardworking self-made man who born to Bangladeshi immigrant parent. His wife Delphine, French born successful career woman before settling as housewife when their son born. She feels trapped in the ‘perfect marriage’ which is an envy of all her friends, having a husband who loves and respects her and her lavish rich home, everything as she dreamed. Their son Lucky, talented football player dreams to win the World Cup for England and also has a huge crush on Portia who helps at his grandfather’s store. The family patriarch Zaki, a shopkeeper and who prefers to live without any responsibility.

I find Delphine to be creepy, especially when she feels okay to be in the relationship simultaneously with Zaki her father-in-law and her husband, Jinan. Even though, Zaki is not the biological father of Jinan, which were told repeatedly throughout the book, it’s still hard to be sympathize with Delphine and Zaki. The excuses which, they gave to be in the relationship are simply unacceptable. I also feel the book been concluded abruptly. Apart from this, it’s worth a read if you could keep an open mind while reading it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's two tragedies in life. One is not getting what you desire, and the other is getting it. This is basically the main idea in this book.Lucky, a teen wants only threee things in life: he'll win the World Cup, with his left foot. This torments him because whenever he dreams about it, it seems so real that when he wakes up, he has tears in his eyes.
Lucky's mom Delphine, seems like the luckiest woman in the world. But really, Delphine feels trapped in her perfect lifestyle. Two things she desires: one is to be young again, and secondly be with Zaki, he husband's father in law. But rekindling things with Zaki is a bad idea because it ends up as a disaster.
Zaki, owns a corner shop running it for his now successful son, and still charming as ever, feels trapped as well. He loved and lost Delphine, but maybe rekindling with her will cause more damage to his life, and wonders if he runs away from is responsibilities, and his life to achieve his long life dreams will happen.
The Khalils all want to find themselves, and as close as all their dreams are about to come true, they forget what really matters.
Themes: Love, Friendship, dignity, family, dreams, and blindness

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are few Writers whose works get to me and Roopa is one of them. I did not know it when I first read Bitter Sweets but the next time I saw a book on the bookshelf with her name I reached for it. I'm home with her writing and it's not her focus on family and life changing decisions, but it's the ease with each she gets you into and out of a characters head. It's like a breeze on a sunny day.
The theme of this book is the realization/actualization of dreams. You have Zaki, Jinan's Father who owns a corner shop. He is a ladies man, loves his drink and making bets but he's also the one who dated his daughter in -law first. She's Delphine and comes off as an unhappy and dissatisfied housewife. Her son, Lucky, has only one dream and that's to play football for England. Each has their dream and hopes for the future but none of them is ready for what they encounter along the way and the decisions they make and actions they take made this book a much deserved treat.

[Rashmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a dysfunctional family.Book seems pretty interesting in the beginning and a drag in the middle! The main character is Lucky, who is a teenager and dreams about being a star in football. His mother Delphine is unhappy with her life and tries to live a normal life. Zaki who is Lucky’s grandfather has a coffee shop given by his father.

The story seems to be gripping in the beginning, but is a drag in the middle when deals with Delhipne and her friends. With all the confusion around Delphine and her friends, Zaki disappears from the town and meets Coco. And the story jumps a quarter of a century where Lucky has his own family and deals with stardom.

Whole point of the book is – There are two tragedies in life – One is not to get your heart’s desire and the other one is get it, but could have been more interesting if it wasnt a drag about Delphine.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three generations of the Khalil family. Zaki, a Bangladeshi immigrant came to London to set up a shop after his young wife died in Paris. He never wanted to be a shopkeeper, but his father set him up and with no alternatives, and a young son, Jinan, he consented. There he met Delphine, a lovely French girl, who also wanted to flee her family and farm life in Southeastern France. Their meeting, sharing a cab momentarily in a downpour, led to a short affair, but Delphine hadn't run away only to settle with a gambler. Years later Delphine met Jinan, by then a successful lawyer, married and gave birth to Lucky who constantly dreamed of scoring a goal for England in the World Cup. But as Oscar Wilde said, there are two tragedies in life. "One is not getting your heart's desire-and the other? Getting it."

[Paula Sealey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main characters are Lucky, a rising 14 year old football star, his grandfather, who runs the corner shop, and his parents, Delphine and Jinan. All have their particular problems in life and dreams they aspire to, which make for a very thought provoking read. I especially liked Zaki, the Grandfather, and the way his part in the story ended - so poignant!

I have to thank my friend Maria for putting me onto this author. She sent me her first book to read, and, as I usually do if I enjoy one book by an author, I searched out her others. Turns out she's a fairly new writer, so these are the only two she has at the moment, and I'll have to wait until September 09 for her New Release. That one sounds really interesting and I wait with bated breath!

[David Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it.

George Bernard Shaw



Corner Shop details the the dreams of three generations of a multi-racial family in London. The above maxim proves to be true as we see two very unhappy individuals at the end. One who achieves it all yet achieves nothing, with the other does nothing they want, but has everything. The third player tries to do avoid anything after tragedy strikes and yet ends up happy.


I like this book but come away with an empty feeling, as if the book could have had more substance. There is more to this story that wasn't told, maybe constrained by trying to tell three stories instead of focusing on just one.

[Carolyn Fagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books that make you think long after the last page is read are a rarity, but this book will do exactly that. The story of three generations of Khalils explores the two tragedies in life according to Oscar Wilde; one is never achieving your dreams and the other is achieving them all. What happens to that person who at a young age realizes all their dreams? What do they do next? Do they get new dreams? Where do you go from the top and how do you handle it? Zaki was probably my favorite character, although the author does such a great job with her characterizations that even the ones you don't really like you still have empathy for - I'm talking to you Delphine! Highly recommend.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story for summer reading about a family in England. Zaki Khalil moves from Bangladesh to Europe. His wife dies and he's left caring for his stepson, Jinan. Zaki runs a shop and Jinan grows up to be a successful lawyer. Jinan's bored French housewife, Delphine, rekindles a romance with Zaki, Jinan's stepfather. Awkward! Jinan and Delphine raise a talented son who plays for England in the World Cup. Zaki decides to leave so Jinan can remain ignorant and save his marriage. Characters' desires make them unsatisfied and discontent with their lives.

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[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting, so I didn't spend much time musing on content and character. I enjoyed the first 2/3 immensely but (at risk of giving away too much of the story) I wish Farooki would have remained in the UK and in the present. Zaki's detour to Deauville was tiresome and unbelieveable and the glimpse into the future utterly unnecessary.

Despite these plot stumbles, I dug her accessible and engaging writing and her ability to take the reader beyond stereotypes to show the many dimensions of a modern, multi-cultural society.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so refreshing to pick up a book this well-written. The story is slow-starting and more a slice of life (very dysfunctional ones) than it is "action-packed" but picks up well along the way. I caught myself more than once re-reading sentences that were so intuitive I wondered "who notices things like that?"...Farooki does. This is one of the most talented authors I have come across to date. If she had a smashing story she would rank up there with Khaled Hosseini. I have ordered all of her other books and can't wait to dive into them.

[Sylvia]

A light read with fun character development. I'm not spoiling it (I hope) by telling you that the interesting lives intertwined in the novel resolve themselves in rather mundane ways, in my opinion. If I wanted a slice of life, I'd have picked up some non-fiction, or just quit reading and done my grocery shopping. Still, I enjoyed it and found a few quotable turns of phrase, and some good British vocabulary words like "yobs" (hoodlums) and "shambolic" (in a shambles).

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is split into 2 parts and my rating of 3 stars is made up of 4 stars for the first part and 2 stars for the second part. The story is about a mixed raced couple, his father and their son. In the first part the characters are developed and believable; in the second part they become caricatures. The change was so noticeable that my first thought was that a different person had written each part; at the very least it seems that Ms. Farooki changed her mind as to her audience.