Bageye at the Wheel

The story itself is one of observation of a period whereby a provincial town of immigrants (a mixture of Irish, Asian and Caribbean) and their larger families congregate, yet try to assimilate into a British culture that had not yet been accustomed to diversity among ethnicities.

Nevertheless, this indifference to a somewhat unforgiving environment is neatly summed up by the unwavering, independent "Bageye", who refuses to blend in but rather stand out as a linchpin for the so-called "Windrush generation".

"[2] For Peter Carty in The Independent, "a lot of the book's appeal comes from Grant's insider perspective on the Afro-Caribbean experience in the UK.

"[3] Keith Bruce notes in The Herald: "These pages are populated by a bunch of immigrant men who have bestowed Truman Capote-style nicknames on each other.

The opening chapters are stand-alone short stories about the domestic adventures of Bageye and these "spars" and are almost reminiscent of Tom Sawyer.