The Housing Lark does not feature a plot in the conventional sense of one even naturally leading to the next to create an easily identifiable linear trail that chronologically leads to a climax. Instead, the narrative is pursued through a series of character studies that the narrator terms “ballads.” These ballads may seem disconnected from the central storyline that progressives forward, but they become essential for the purpose of providing insight and background into the characters. Ultimately, the book is a character study focusing on a group rather than a specific individual.
The title refers to the “lark” or dream of finding a place to live and establishing a sense of control and dignity among several West Indian immigrants living in London. Battersby—often known simply as Bat—instigates the idea among several of his friends to go in together on a plan to organize as a collective unit raising enough funds between themselves to put down a deposit on a house. The plot of such a narrative would therefore seem naturally to be one that simply follows these men on their series of adventures which leads inexorably to either making good on the lark or failing. In this case, however, the plot is not the point of the narrative. The point is rather to enlighten and illuminate readers on the basic fundamental obstacles facing an immigrant group in trying to attain what for native Londoners would, in fact, be that simple straightforward design.
Therefore, what follows from the setting up of this idea of friends going in together to accomplish a relatively simple goal is to be more complicated and offbeat and this element is immediately introduced in the opening paragraphs with the suggestion that there is something not at all mundane and simple about this task as it is pursued by this particular. References to Aladdin and the lamp and the genie and the granting of wishes strongly hint that this pursuit is not really about the pursuit and this suggestion is further strengthened by a near-constant motif of allusions to dreams and dreaming. Right from the beginning, the narrator is almost to the point of coming right out and saying this rather simple goal of taking just one slight step up the ladder of economic status by getting into a house is a pipedream for these guys because they can’t handle it.
And so the novel pursues several different storylines presented in the form of those ballads with the intent to reveal why this seemingly simple pursuit is almost to considered doomed from the start. Harry Banjo is a calypso musician with big dreams of landing that big musical contract in the big city. But Harry’s dream is crushed by being sent to jail for a crime he did not commit. Syl is positioned as a pre-existing black immigrant version of Alfie, the character played by Michael Caine in the movie of the same name whose entire existence seems to revolve around the constant pursuit of “birds” which is jargon for, of course, young women. It takes money to attract birds, of course, so how can Syl expect to contribute to the cause when he always has another motive in mind?
Alfy also big dreams like Harry, but his odds of success don’t even require an unwarranted arrest to be doomed. His dreams of instant success as a photographer springs from just one random incident in which an “Englisher” told him about the time he just so happened to have his camera with him when two buses collided and so Alfy spends all his time on the street hoping for his own accident to happen. And then there is Gallows who has perhaps the funniest but also in a way the saddest ballad to sing: back in Trinidad Gallows lost a five pound bank note which was a really big deal and he becomes obsessed with finding it. So obsessed, that even when he moves to London, he still takes the time to search just about every place he goes.
The suggestion that it would take a magic lamp and a genie to help these guys direct their energy toward accomplishing anything requiring focus and determination is manifested in the very unlikely events which occur on literally the last couple of pages in order to give the guys the happy ending that hardly seems possible. An agent shows up looking for Harry Banjo bemoaning the fact that he doesn’t seem to possess a gimmick to exploit. It is only at this point that he finds that not only is Harry in jail, but he’s in jail taking the rap for their friend named Poor because his name perfectly reflected the living conditions of his large family. And so Harry Banjo becomes a social warrior hero who also happens to be a talented musician who saves the day.
