Summary
Harri, an eleven-year-old Ghanaian immigrant, observes a teenage boy's murder scene outside Chicken Joe's, a fast-food restaurant. Harri and his friend Jason describe the scene, not understanding the gravity of the boy's death. Though Harri does not know the murder victim personally and cannot fully grasp mortality, the boy's death impacts him severely.
Harri lives with his mother and sister, Lydia, while his father and baby sister, Agnes, remain in Ghana until they can save enough money to immigrate to London. While talking to his father on the phone, Harri relates how a pigeon flew into the apartment. Harri feels a special connection with the bird and studies it so he can recognize it in the future. He believes the bird is so special he doesn't wash his hands after handling it, because it "doesn't have any germs."
Harri, Lydia, and Harri's mother visit the outdoor market to go grocery shopping and buy a "pigeon net." Though the market is freezing compared to markets in his native Ghana, Harri is excited by the variety of candy and toys he can see. Harri prays his mother does not find a pigeon net, as Harri wants to domesticate the pigeon. While at the market, Harri watches Dizzy, X-Fire, and Jordan steal a woman's phone but doesn't say anything because his mother will refuse to let him play with Jordan if she knows he is a criminal. Harri remarks that Jordan gets "cigarettes or one week of freedom where they don't try to kill him" as payment for helping X-Fire and Dizzy steal.
While his mother and Lydia sleep, Harri attempts to entice the pigeon back to his apartment. While waiting for the pigeon, Harri sees a man remove a knife from a hiding spot under a trash can and run away toward the river. Harri focuses on the man's odd way of running, betting he is "faster than him." The narrative then briefly switches to the pigeon's perspective, rendered in italics. The pigeon pities human beings and observes that the dead boy "was not his," confirming that Harri and the pigeon have a special connection.
Lydia's friends, Miquita and Chanelle, come to the apartment to watch Hollyoaks, a British soap opera. Miquita sexually harasses Harri, sitting on his hand and promising to kiss him, though he does not want her to. Miquita refuses to go to the dead boy's funeral because it was "his own fault" he got killed. Harri does not understand that the dead boy was a gang member and argues that murderers killed him to steal his fast food. At the dead boy's funeral, Harri sneaks off with Dean to observe the crowd for "suspicious activity" because Dean believes "the killer comes back to watch the funeral," like in a crime drama. After Dean and Harry shake the guests' hands, a boy called Killa rides by on his bike and falls off, nearly being hit by the funeral procession.
At school, members of the Dell Farm Crew pretend to stab Harri. The boys claim to have stabbed and shanked people and speak authoritatively about how to do it. Harri does not understand if they are playing or are actually murderers. Later, X-Fire, leader of The Dell Farm Crew, steals Harri's backpack and offers Harri a job with the crew. Harri, confused, says he doesn't need a job. X-Fire returns Harri's bag, advising him to tell the gang if anyone gives him trouble.
Harri's Aunt Sonia, a well-traveled woman, visits London, though she plans to leave England soon. Harri's mother explains that a pregnant woman called her a racial slur while at work and requested a different midwife. Harri visits his friend, Jordan, who was expelled for kicking a teacher. Then, Harri and Dean search the river for the murder weapon, pretending to be detectives.
Analysis
Harri narrates Pigeon English using the first-person perspective. The text simulates a child's voice, using incorrect words, disjointed sentences, and seemingly random observations, making moments of violence and cruelty more impactful through contrast. The text renders dialogue between characters in script format: the speaking character's name, followed by a colon, and then their dialogue. When Harri relates anecdotes about his classmates, such as Connor Green and Kofi Allotey, he does not give any context. Like many young children, Harri innocently assumes people relevant to his life are universally known. By mimicking a child's storytelling style, the text poignantly investigates how violence impacts children emotionally and psychologically.
The text also uses illustrations, like the "No Climbing" and "Turn it off" signs outside of Harri's school and the sign by the river warning that the watercress is "unfit for human consumption." By visually representing these signs, the text adds another layer to the theme of pidgin language and culture. These signs visually convey meaning to Harri in a way spoken language cannot, contributing to his "pidgin" understanding of London.
Harri and Jordan refer to the murdered teenager simply as "the dead boy." This epithet is doubly significant. First, Harri and Jordan never learn the boy's name, demonstrating that the boy's identity is irrelevant to their day-to-day life, though Harri becomes obsessed with solving the murder and considers the dead boy his "friend even if he didn't know about it." Secondly, the boy's anonymity, and Harri's casual reaction to seeing his body, suggest that Harri lives in an environment desensitized to crime, violence, and death, which he does not fully understand.
Harri speaks a combination of British slang ("proper, "dope-fine"), Ghanaian vocabulary ("Asweh," "hutious"), and mispronunciations and errors typical of young children ("most deadliest"). Harri's complicated lexicon demonstrates the theme of pidgin. Harri combines different parts of his identity to make sense of and navigate his new environment. Though Harri is innocent and does not yet feel elements of his identity in conflict, his "pidgin" leads to misunderstandings. To make himself understood, Harri uses frequent similes and comparisons to describe his world. For example, his mother and Lydia snore "like crazy pigs," the apartments look like "a hell of snakes," and the mentally unwell people "look just like real people."
Harri describes criminals in his neighborhood, like Terry Takeaway, as more annoying than sinister. Harri does not recognize danger and often exaggerates his abilities and position in life. For example, he claims to own multiple cars when in actuality, his neighbors have four cars he likes. Harri uses hyperbole, describing "a million dogs" and the police's "acid spray" that "only makes people go blind but it kills dogs in five seconds." He believes wild stories, such as "Fag Ash Lil killed her husband and ate him in a pie," and the river "is acid, if you fell in all your skin would burn off." Harri's skewed understanding of himself and his neighbors indicates that he is an unreliable narrator who does not notice or understand information relevant to the murder.
Harri incorporates death and violence into his creative play. For example, during recess, Harri likes to play "suicide bomber or zombies." In his art class, Harri tries to replicate the color of the dead boy's blood. Though Harri doesn't fully understand the boy's murder, he fixates on it.
Harri experiences racism and discrimination without realizing it. For example, a classmate named Vilis ran away from Harri, claiming that African people's germs are "the most deadliest." Harri also prefers female police officers because "they just talk to you instead of hitting you all the time." This understatement suggests that Harri has experienced or witnessed police brutality frequently enough that he considers it commonplace and annoying rather than a significant abuse of power. Similarly, Harri's family tries to hide the reality of discrimination and crime from him. For example, when Harri's mother speaks to Aunt Sonia about being called a racial slur at work, she lies to Harri, making up an alternate, child-appropriate definition for the slur, saying it is a reference to new nurses.
Harri's developing relationship with faith and religion informs his worldview. He attributes his successes to his prayers, crediting himself for ensuring the plane from Cairo to England did not crash and preventing his mother from finding a pigeon net at the market. Harri's religion is superficial and rules-based, though the rules he identifies are slightly strange. For example, he believes "you only get to be righteous if you can sing every church song without looking at the words" and babies who die get to grow up in heaven.
