The Buddha of Suburbia

Karim is in a reckless and emotionally fragile mood, despite the success of the play’s opening in New York. At the opening night party, Karim gathers with the other actors around Pyke; Karim is drinking heavily. Pyke skewers Karim by reading the predictions he made at the beginning of their project about who would sleep with whom, revealing that he manipulated Eleanor into a relationship with Karim. Karim has long suspected that Pyke has been toying with Karim’s emotions and life for his own amusement. Karim leaves, with everyone laughing at him, unable to understand their cruelty toward him. He calls Charlie and begs Eleanor to get back together with him. When she says no, because she’s with Pyke, Karim loses control of himself and attacks Pyke. People quickly stop him.

When he comes to, Charlie is with him in a cab. Karim wakes up in Charlie’s apartment, and they spend the day together. Charlie is extremely famous; people recognize him on the street. Karim watches videos of Charlie’s band performing. Their new album, Kill for DaDa, has been on the charts for months. Charlie knows that the punk thing won’t last for long, and that the music isn’t very good, but he’s working on writing songs and learning to play the saxophone. Punk doesn’t have the same impact in America, away from the class struggle and high unemployment that fueled raging punks in England.

Karim cannot bear to have to live in the apartment the actors share in New York, so Charlie invites him to live with him. Charlie wants to learn and become serious about life; he wants to stop being a con-man and live authentically. Charlie takes care of himself, exercising and eating only vegetarian food. Charlie still does drugs and has them delivered to his apartment. When the play closes, Karim stays in New York.

However, Karim’s terrible depression and self-hatred continue. Karim is waiting for himself to heal. When six months go by, he tells Charlie that he should go home to England. Charlie wants him to stay, because Charlie needs a witness to remind him of how far he’s come. Charlie also has demons, and he’s not coming to terms with his fame.

Two events make Karim decide to return to London. First, Charlie seriously injures a journalist who won’t take “no comment” for an answer, beating him up and stomping on his hand. Second, Karim witnesses Charlie’s sexual dark side when Charlie hires a woman to torture him while Karim watches. After this, Karim cannot stand to be a witness to Charlie’s self-destructive life.

Karim returns to London to audition for a television soap opera part and to visit his family. He’s been gone for 10 months. Though he misses his parents and Eva, Karim’s ambivalence continues. He briefly considers going back to the U.S. to work for Charlie. Karim gets a soap opera part as an Indian shop owner’s rebellious son. However, Karim does not know if he wants to take the part: is he selling out? He will be famous if he takes the part, recognized whenever he goes out. He accepts the part and goes to visit his father and Eva to tell them the good news.

He arrives at his father’s and Eva’s apartment at the same time as a journalist and photographer who are interviewing Eva about her apartment remodel. As soon as the article comes out, she wants to put the apartment on the market. Karim is shocked by how old his father looks. His father tells the journalists that the West is amazing, but they are missing the soul and the things of the spirit. The journalist and the photographer have no idea what Haroon is talking about.

Haroon tells Karim that he’s quitting his job. He wants to live his own live as intensely as he can. Karim approves, of course. Once he quits, he wants to spend his time talking about philosophy and living an authentic life. He wants to help young people who have lost their way.

Karim visits his mother and brother. Allie is a success, working for a clothing designer. He’s also become conservative, spouting criticism of “whining lefties” who should be taking care of themselves instead of complaining (267). Allie berates their father for his selfishness, first in leaving their mother and next by quitting his job. They all depend on him for money.

Karim’s mother comes home from work and gets ready for a date. Allie tells Karim that Margaret has a younger boyfriend who doesn’t know how old Karim and Allie are. They hide when the boyfriend, Jimmy, arrives.

Allie takes him to a new club; the punks and hippies are all gone, replaced by neatly and expensively dressed people. He meets Allie’s girlfriend. Everyone is terribly impressed that he has a part in a soap.

Karim decides to visit Jamila and Changez, arriving at the commune in the early morning hours. Changez answers the door with a baby in his arms: Jamila’s daughter, Leila. Changez tells Karim that Jamila has a new love, Joanna. Simon, Leila’s father, is not currently living in the commune. Changez did not understand that Jamila was lovers with Joanna, and after Karim goes to sleep, he confronts Jamila. Jamila admits that it is true. Karim realizes as he’s forced to eavesdrop on their private conversation that he’s tired of being a voyeur. He wants to demand more from himself than prurient interest in other people’s sex lives.

A few days later, he visits his father again. He tells him about the soap opera job, and Haroon asks how his mother is doing. Haroon is jealous and upset that Margaret has a boyfriend and is happy.

Karim takes the whole family out to dinner to celebrate his new job starting and his father’s job ending. It also happens to be election night, May 3, 1979, and Margaret Thatcher is elected prime minister. Haroon announces that he and Eva are getting married. Karim is happy and miserable at the same time, surrounded by the people he loves.