Street Sweeper by Bren Gosling

Whilst I do mainly read, and love, crime fiction, I always welcome the opportunity to read new (to me) books from other genres. Bren Gosling's debut novel and winner of the the Novel London Literary Prize in 2021, Sweet Sweeper, was a book I was lucky enough to receive in paperback, and equally lucky to read on a sunbed somewhere hot. It tells the story of Almir and Roland, and I really enjoyed it. Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

London, 2002. When Almir, a twenty-one-year-old Kosovan ex-boy soldier, is relocated to London with a new identity, flashbacks undermine his ability to keep his job as a street sweeper. Then he meets Roland, a forty-year-old British Jamaican, a Council surveyor trying to escape his Pentecostal upbringing, and a failed relationship with Shirl with whom he has a fifteen-year-old son.

Roland and Almir become closer as Roland offers first friendship, then sex, yet Almir remains secretive about his past, and struggles to identify as gay, forcing Roland to question their relationship. And who is Muzzafer, the name Almir repeatedly shouts out during frequent nightmares? As tension builds, Almir confronts his involvement in a war atrocity, which threatens to destabilise his sanity and his new UK life.

But, against all these powerful obstacles, Almir and Roland’s love for each other continues to grow. Is it strong enough to last?

My Review

Almir has only been in  Britain for a short time after his involvement in the Kosovan war in the late 90s. He has a job as a street sweeper, literally with a cart and a broom, and has been accepted by his colleagues. When he returns to work after a period of illness, he is given a new area to clean and bumps into local resident Roland, and the two men begin a tentative relationship. 

Oh, goodness, Almir has my heart. He is so troubled by his memories of the war, suffering terrible flashbacks, often  triggered by sights or sounds around him. He probably doesn't have sufficient English to talk about it but can't anyway. He just keeps reliving the war, particularly a couple of incredibly traumatic events. In addition, Almir has never really acknowledged that he's gay. He's all alone in a new country and it's so hard. From the author's notes, it is clear he has done extensive research, and things certainly feel authentic.

Roland is lovely. A genuinely nice man who is sorry for his failed relationship with his ex-wife and wants to ensure he has a healthy relationship with his teenage son. Something pulls him and Almir together, just at the right time for both of them. But it's a tricky relationship, especially when Almir can't talk about the past, and Roland is afraid to ask. Especially when he sees Almir have an episode. 

The story is built around these two men but there are some other key characters playing important roles. Julie, a befriender, who has volunteered to support Almir, Roland's son Gary and Stan, Roland's long time friend. All three of them have their roles to play in Almir and Roland 's story. I particularly liked Julie, maybe because I'm probably a similar age to her but I also enjoyed how she came to look at and feel about herself. 

Street Sweeper is a novel touching on many big issues - immigration, marginalisation, racism, homophobia, trauma and grief. But mostly it's about love and acceptance. I devoured this book over two days and was cheering on Almir and Roland from the beginning, hoping they'd make it. You will be too. 

The Author

Bren Gosling, an alumnus of City University’s Novel Studio, is published in numerous anthologies, and was a finalist of the London, Brighton and Exeter Short Story Prizes. Street Sweeper won the Novel London Literary Prize in 2021, and the inaugural Book Edit Writer’s Prize for under-represented writers. The novel was shortlisted for the New Anglia Manuscript Prize in 2023. Bren’s plays have garnered two Offies nominations, and an ONComm Commendation. His latest play, Invisible Me starring Tessa Peake Jones ran at the Southwark Playhouse from April 8th to May 2nd this year. Find out more about Bren’s work at www.brengosling.com.

Bren explains: “My writing explores the narratives of quiet lives, extraordinarily lived, marginalised voices of overlooked people and places. A member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have researched the experiences of being a gay first generation British Jamaican man, through interviews; I spent time in a Pentecostal church. I interviewed Kosovan immigrants to the UK as well as the head of department of Albanian Studies at University of London to better understand Albanian culture and recent history. I shadowed a street sweeper at Walthamstow Cleansing Depot. What interests me is bringing untold stories to life by creating fictional narratives. This has been my focus in writing Street Sweeper.”