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Boy-Sandwich
Conveys the ways in which three generations of a West Indian family have been affected by life in Britain. For the grandparents, confined to the tyranny of an old people's home, a collection of sepia photographs and memories are a vital link to the Caribbean and a rosy past.
- GenresFiction
122 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
1 person is currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Beryl Gilroy
25 books39 followersBeryl Agatha Gilroy (née Answick) (30 August 1924 – 4 April 2001) was a novelist and teacher, and "one of Britain's most significant post-war Caribbean migrants". Born in what was then British Guiana (now Guyana), she moved in the 1950s to the United Kingdom, where she became the first black headteacher in London. She was the mother of academic Paul Gilroy.
Gilroy's creative writing began in childhood, as a teacher for children and then in the 1960s when she began writing what was later published by Peepal Tree Press as In Praise of Love and Children. Between 1970 and 1975 she wrote the pioneering children’s series Nippers, which contain probably the first reflection of the Black British presence in UK writing for children.
It was not until 1986 that her first novel, the award-winning Frangipani House was published (Heinemann). It won a GLC Creative Writing Prize in 1982. Set in an old person’s home in Guyana, it reflects one of her professional concerns: the position of ethnic minority elders and her persistent emphasis on the drive for human freedom. Boy Sandwich (Heinemann) was published in 1989, followed by Stedman and Joanna: A Love in Bondage (Vantage, 1991), and a collection of poems, Echoes and Voices (Vantage, 1991). Then came Sunlight and Sweet Water (Peepal Tree, 1994), Gather the Faces, In Praise of Love and Children and Inkle and Yarico (all Peepal Tree, 1994). Her last novel, The Green Grass Tango (Peepal Tree) was published in 2001, sadly after Beryl Gilroy’s death in April of that year.
Gilroy's early work examined the impact of life in Britain on West Indian families and her later work explored issues of African and Caribbean diaspora and slavery.
In 1998, a collection of her non-fiction writing, entitled Leaves in the Wind, came out from Mango Publishing. It included her lectures, notes, essays, dissertations and personal reviews.
(from Wikipedia)
Gilroy's creative writing began in childhood, as a teacher for children and then in the 1960s when she began writing what was later published by Peepal Tree Press as In Praise of Love and Children. Between 1970 and 1975 she wrote the pioneering children’s series Nippers, which contain probably the first reflection of the Black British presence in UK writing for children.
It was not until 1986 that her first novel, the award-winning Frangipani House was published (Heinemann). It won a GLC Creative Writing Prize in 1982. Set in an old person’s home in Guyana, it reflects one of her professional concerns: the position of ethnic minority elders and her persistent emphasis on the drive for human freedom. Boy Sandwich (Heinemann) was published in 1989, followed by Stedman and Joanna: A Love in Bondage (Vantage, 1991), and a collection of poems, Echoes and Voices (Vantage, 1991). Then came Sunlight and Sweet Water (Peepal Tree, 1994), Gather the Faces, In Praise of Love and Children and Inkle and Yarico (all Peepal Tree, 1994). Her last novel, The Green Grass Tango (Peepal Tree) was published in 2001, sadly after Beryl Gilroy’s death in April of that year.
Gilroy's early work examined the impact of life in Britain on West Indian families and her later work explored issues of African and Caribbean diaspora and slavery.
In 1998, a collection of her non-fiction writing, entitled Leaves in the Wind, came out from Mango Publishing. It included her lectures, notes, essays, dissertations and personal reviews.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 27, 2024
A beautiful novel about identity in 80’s Britain and the effects of migration across different generations of a migrant family. Very moving and thoughtful novel.
June 26, 2025
picked up in a hostel in Penang, actually super interesting. Emotive, endearing and in many ways sad. I can imagine it being relatable to many in similar circumstances.
April 5, 2020
Definitely one of the better texts I've read for University. I love how it explored the three generations of the family, and showed the differences in how they experienced their own identity and culture. It was fascinating how the protagonist almost seemed to be looking for somewhere to fit whilst never quite finding the place that he is at 'home'. I really enjoyed the way it made me question my own beliefs and perceptions on where and what 'home' is.
4/5 I loved that it made me think but I almost wanted it to be longer!
4/5 I loved that it made me think but I almost wanted it to be longer!
October 30, 2008
Boy Sandwich has its moments, especially in the first fifty pages or so, of being a very moving account of the elderly slipping away from a family. Unfortunately, it keeps up neither in its focus, nor in its beautiful use of language. Not to say that the second half of the novel has nothing that is poignant in it, but it's not as compelling as the earlier story. It moves into a sort of jerky "identifying my identity with place" sort of story that has its moments, but often shifts for no reason and with little rationale.
January 13, 2017
I can take it or leave it. It was a worthy effort, but not a very good story. A bit too much moralising and explaining.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews