The Buddha of Suburbia: Part 2, Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

Eva purchases a flat in West Kensington. It has three rooms and high ceilings, but it's filthy and sad. The walls are covered in paintings that mysteriously disappear, and Eva finally admits that Charlie is stealing them. Karim sleeps on the couch and Charlie sleeps on the floor when he visits. Dad is disgusted by his new home, but Eva is thrilled.

Karim still feels directionless, but he begins to explore the city. He thinks of London as a house with thousands of rooms. West Kensington is an uninteresting neighborhood where people stay for a while before they move up to expensive Kensington proper. Eva finds West Kensington exciting and believes it's headed for greatness.

One night, Charlie invites Karim out to the bar with him. Charlie doesn't seem to really want to go, and Karim believes that Charlie knows he won't get anywhere in London. Charlie soon becomes drunk. As Karim prepares to tell Charlie how depressed he's been since the move to London, Charlie admits he's suicidal. A famous football player nearby overhears Charlie, and he and Charlie talk about the pressures of fame. Suddenly, Charlie leans forward and vomits in the player's lap. The player kicks Charlie a few times before Karim can get Charlie away.

Karim leans Charlie against a wall to steady him and looks around the room. Karim looks around and studies the crowd waiting for a band to go on, suddenly feeling provincial as he studies their strange dress. Their hair is spikey and their clothes are ripped and then safety pinned. Karim suddenly understands that London is an entirely different animal, and he feels small. Charlie dismissively scans the crowd and says it's making him feel sick because it's too weird.

As Karim starts to move Charlie out of the bar, the band takes the stage. Karim watches as the crowd screams and spits at the band, and the band does the same back at the audience. Karim is transfixed and thinks that the singer is trying to be an anti-star. He and Charlie agree that the singer is an idiot and the band looks unprofessional. When the band starts to play, the music is harsh and angry, and the singer curses at the audience between songs. When Karim finally looks at Charlie as the band finishes, Charlie is surprisingly alert. Karim leads Charlie out of the bar, but Charlie stops and insists he needs to go talk to the band. Karim talks him out of this.

Charlie is excited as he and Karim walk. He insists that the sixties are over now, and the band they saw is the future. Karim is casual and insists they can't follow those kids and wear safety pins, but Charlie is insistent. Karim tries to say that he and Charlie didn't grow up the same way those kids did and therefore they don't understand the kids’ hatred, but Charlie angrily turns on Karim. Charlie spits that Karim is going nowhere. Charlie rushes away into traffic and into a car filled with angry kids. Karim walks home alone.

Several days later, Eva announces that it's time to start work on the flat, but she needs to throw a flat-warming party first. Eva is secretive about the guest list and only allows Dad to invite two people from his meditation group. She invites Shadwell and all of his contacts, and the whole thing bothers Karim. At the party, Dad and Karim don't know anyone. Karim realizes that Eva is treating this party like her launch into London judging by her guest list, and he sees that she's trying to rid herself of her suburban roots. Karim thinks that suburbia is in the blood, and there's nothing more suburban than suburbanites trying to escape the identity.

Karim is relieved to see Jamila, Changez, and Shinko getting out of a cab. He explains to the reader that he's spoken to Jamila often on the phone, and after Changez caught him with Jamila, Changez had gone crazy. He'd accused Jamila of all manner of things, and Jamila, true to form, informed Changez that she can do what she wants with her body. Changez had tried to hit her, but she'd hit him instead.

Changez and Karim shake hands. Karim insists that Jamila is her own person, not his or Changez's. Changez just looks sad. Karim and Changez open beers and sit down. Changez explains that Jamila and Shinko have become friends, and the two embarrass Changez by talking about sex in front of him. Changez says that Anwar is also going mad. When Karim seems surprised, Changez wisely says that Karim doesn't visit Anwar because it makes him sad, but he counsels Karim to not forget his people.

Eva butts into Karim's conversation, yanks him off the sofa, and steers him towards Shadwell. Karim tries to resist, but he can't escape. Shadwell drones on about theatre as Karim watches Changez watch Jamila and Shinko dance. When Shadwell finally accepts that Karim wants to get away, he asks Karim to come audition for him. Karim agrees. The next day, Karim tries to discuss how boring Shadwell is with Eva, but she brushes him off and offers to help him prepare for his audition.

Karim prepares a monologue over the next few weeks with Eva's help. On the day of his audition, he performs brilliantly, but Shadwell doesn't seem particularly impressed. Shadwell asks Karim to perform it again, but to act as though a wasp is chasing him. Karim has no choice but to agree, though he feels stupid waving at nothing.

After the audition, Shadwell takes Karim for coffee and offers him "the part." It comes to light that Eva never told Karim to read The Jungle Book, which Shadwell had asked her to do. Shadwell begins talking to Karim in Punjabi or Urdu, and seems shocked when Karim doesn't respond in the same language. Shadwell is even more shocked to learn that Karim has never been to India and he insists that Karim must go sometime. Shadwell laughs at the strangeness of Karim being an "exotic" Indian boy from Orpington.

Shadwell asks Karim if being "a half-caste in England" is difficult. Karim is beyond embarrassed and can barely listen as Shadwell asks Karim how Eva and Dad's relationship is going. Karim tries to steer the conversation back to The Jungle Book. Shadwell studies Karim and says that he's just right to play Mowgli. Karim is amazed he got a job.