Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze is marketed as Fiction, however it is slightly autobiographical. In this book you follow “Snoop” (aka Gabriel) throughout his late teens to early twenties as he navigates life living in a North West London estate. This is a tale of crime and violence told from the point of view of an unapologetic Gabriel/Snoop.

The prose of this book is fairly unique. It is phonetic and uses a lot of London slang. As someone with a pretty strong northern (English) accent I found reading the book a bit strange. The voice in my head sounded comical, so I started again with the audiobook which is narrated by the author. So much better! If you’re struggling with the language then I recommend the audiobook. The prose became poetic, beautiful, despite the gritty and violent content. 

I wouldn’t say there are any likeable characters here, other than Snoop himself, you are introduced to a plethora of characters who come and go so quickly it isn’t always worth remembering who was who. Snoop, to me, isn’t likeable. He is arrogant and narcissistic. He’s an interesting character to follow, I just found myself disliking him more and more and the story went on.

But my main takeaway isn’t really a positive one, and it’s taken me awhile after finishing the book to be able to really reflect on why I sometimes felt uncomfortable.

People will praise this book for being unapologetically truthful and upfront about lives in London you don’t usually see behind the fancy tourist attraction curtains. I have scrolled through reviews to try and find someone who thought as I did, but they are few and far between. 

My issue is that I think there needs to be more discourse about Krauze’s privilege and the fact that he chooses to live this life. It’s difficult here to separate the fiction from the autobiographical elements because we don’t know which is which. We know this book is based on Krauze’s experiences

This isn’t the tale of a boy who grows up in a rough area with no other option. He had so many options and opportunities open to him. He chooses to move to the tower block when he was about to start university because his mum dares to complain he got a U in his A levels and feels aggrieved she didn’t acknowledge his genius in other areas. Apparently that is the last straw from Snoop and his loving, abuse free, financially stable family. Went to a private school, was taking music lessons, getting good grades and starting university. He walks away from this, from his family, to play gangster.

It doesn’t matter of once in this life, it doesn’t care if you belong there or not. His privilege and true decisions to take this road are never really acknowledged. He seems to use being jumped as a kid as a reason. To get one back on them, to never be a victim again. Which just doesn’t seem likely, there is more to this and Krauze isn’t honest enough about it. Even with hindsight, as an adult in his 30s, Krauze doesn’t acknowledge his motives or psychology at the time. There is no real self evaluation, no remorse and no sense of growth or maturity. 

Add on to this the fact that the book is marketed as a fiction, then you really have to wonder how much of this is actually true? 

With all this in mind, how can you not think this is glamourising street crime and violence?

I have no doubt this is the age old tale of a young boy with ‘behavioural problems’ falling through the cracks of school systems. I’m sure many who have worked with youth offenders will see a familiar story here. I just wish it was talked about. The only reason I’ve marked this book down is because I feel it fronts as a true reflection of a young boy growing up on a council estate. You can see in the reviews that this is how this is being interpreted. 

Still this would be a great bookclub read because it brings up a lot of questions and interesting conversations about young people and street crime.