'It's Arjan's sixteenth birthday and he's celebrating with his mates - going to see a film and then get a Nando's. He's looking forward to some good banter and wondering what might happen with Jem, who's been looking at him differently these days. But the night comes to a dramatic and violent end when Arjan is targeted by a group of racist thugs, who single him out due to the colour of his skin and the turban that he wears as a symbol of his commitment to his faith and culture. Is the life of a good friend and a beloved son really worth so little?'
Barrington Stoke quite often produce books that touch upon real world subjects, and will deal with important issues or subjects that young readers should be aware of. Most of the time this is done through stories that have happy endings, that feel like adventure stories, and the notes at the end of the book go over the real world influence and let younger readers know that there's some truth in what they've just read. On occasion, however, a book will come along that doesn't have a happy ending, that ends up hitting hard and makes the lesson it's trying to impart impossible to ignore. A Sudden Storm is one of these stories.
The story centres on Arjan, a young boy who's celebrating turning sixteen. Despite offering to stay home with his parents to help his dad do a few jobs around the house, Arjan has a fun night ahead of him and his friends. He's planning to meet up with them, watch a cheesy action movie, and then head out for a meal after; and hopefully see what happens with Jem, the girl that he likes. On his way home that day Arjan is almost hit by a van when he goes to cross the street. If that wasn't bad enough, the men in the van racially abuse him for wearing a turban, yelling at him that he's an immigrant even though he was born in England, and calling him a terrorist.
Despite this, Arjan tries to not let it ruin his day, and continues with his plans to see his friends. He puts on some nice clothes, a snazzy red turban that his family and friends say makes him look great. He's full of energy and happiness at getting to be with his friends, and things are going great until they head for a meal after their movie. At the restaurant one of the men from the van is there, and continues to abuse him in the bathroom, calling him a terrorist, telling him that it's wrong for him to be friends with a white girl, and throwing racial slurs at him. Arjan once again tries to ignore this, doesn't respond in anger, and continues to enjoy his evening.
Unfortunately, Arjan and his friends decide to walk back rather than get the bus, and it leads to tragic circumstances. The man from the van is back, and he's got a group of friends with him. He chases after Arjan and his friends, and Arjan is beaten to death by them. The book ends in violence, with the last thing Arjan sees is the man insulting him before kicking him to death. The final chapter of the book is a last message from Arjan, his spirit lamenting the events of that night, wondering why people would become so hateful to him, why his life had to end just because they didn't like who he was.
The authors note at the end of the book tells readers about Ricky Reel, a young British Sikh man who went missing after a racially motivated attack in London in 1997. After being missing for a week Ricky's body was found in the Thames. The police initially ruled his death an accident, claiming the racist attack on him played no part in it, and it wasn't until his family campaigned further that the police would even consider that he'd been murdered.
A Sudden Storm follows a very similar path to Ricky's story, and the end chapter very much implies that Arjan, like Ricky, is dumped in the river following his murder. It's a harsh and brutal end to the story, one that you're half expecting to end in a happy way, with a lesson about never responding to racist bullying with violence, and how Arjan is the better man because of his actions. But sadly there are times in life when you just don't get a happy ending. And children need to hear that too.
I'm sure that there will be some parents learning about what this book is and thinking that they'll not be letting their kids read it because its sad, because it has racism and violence in it. But whilst there are children growing up who have to live with racism and violence thrown their way, whilst there are people who worry about their safety when they leave their home because they could become a target just for who they are everyone should hear stories like this; even children. If we refuse to show kids this kind of reality, if they don't learn how cruel and awful racism is, if they don't grow up learning that even if someone looks different to you they're still people with lives then people will turn a blind eye to things. They'll look the other way when someone is abused and degraded. They may even grow up to be the ones doing it.
A Sudden Storm is a book that will leave young readers feeling bad I'm sure, but it might also be one of the more important books that Barrington Stoke has produced. Yes, the books that teach about environmentalism and protecting the planet are important, but I can't help but feel that, sadly, this is the one that will be the most relatable and relevant to most of their lives. Racism and bigotry are very much real and alive in the world today, and young readers need to be aware of that.
As with other Barrington Stoke books A Sudden Storm comes with illustrations, provided by David Shephard. The illustrations are in black and white, and accompany key points in the narrative. Most of them show the happy parts of the story, Arjan and his father laughing and joking, his mother helping him get ready for his birthday night out, his friends hanging out with him, Jem and him flirting with each other. They show the joy and the good times that he gets to have. But they also show the bad. We see him being screamed at by racists, we see the man who kills him chasing after him. We see the terror on Arjan's face moments before he dies. The illustrations help to tell the tragedy of his story, and will help younger readers connect with him and events more.
A Sudden Storm is a hard book to read, but one that's well worth the time to do so. It teaches important lessons to younger readers, even if there's a very good chance that it will leave a harsh impression upon them. Stories like this need to be told.
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