I didn’t know the boy who died, he wasn’t mine. But I do know the shape of a mother’s grief, I know how it clings like those resilient blackberries that prosper by the side of a motorway.
In this quotation, Harri's "special pigeon" observes the aftermath and impact of a child's death. The pigeon remarks that the dead boy "wasn't mine," indicating that, by contrast, Harri's belief that he and the pigeon share a special connection is true. The pigeon compares a mother's grief to blackberries that grow on the side of the road. This poetic comparison indicates that when a mother loses a child, like the dead boy's mother and Harri's mother, their grief persists even in times of joy and healing, just as blackberries that grow on the side of the road thrive in an inhospitable environment, no matter how many times the bushes are pruned back. By comparing a mother's grief to berries, rather than weeds or other invasive plants, the pigeon suggests that grief can "bear fruit" or turn into something positive. For example, the parents of Damilola Taylor, on whom Harri's story is loosely based, processed their grief over their child's murder by advocating against youth violence in London.
That's why I have to help him now, he was my friend even if he didn't know about it. He was my first friend who got killed and it hurts too much to forget.
Harri begins investigating the dead boy's murder because he feels an inexplicable connection with the murdered teen. Though they never spoke, Harri knew the dead boy by sight and observed his talents, like playing basketball and riding "his bike with no hands." Harri defines his relationship with the dead boy by calling him a friend, "even if he didn't know about it." By calling the dead boy a "friend," Harri indicates that he identifies with the boy; he hoped to be like the dead boy, and the latter's death leads him to understand that anyone can suffer senseless violence. Harri struggles to understand why he feels loss and trauma over the boy's murder even though they were not close.
Harri's feelings about the dead boy translate into action; Harri is disillusioned by the authorities' inaction and how quickly his peers move on. Thus, Harri feels compelled to solve the murder himself.
"The only friends a man needs, his bat and a drink. One to get you what you want, the other to forget how you got it. You’ll see what I mean one day. Just stay good for as long as you can, eh? Just stay the way you are."
Julius explains to Harri that he uses violence to make a living, and alcohol to cope with the consequences of his actions. Julius uses his bat, "the Persuader," to maim and kill people who fail to repay their debts. Julius frequently drinks "kill-me-quick," a high-alcohol-content moonshine. Though Julius often justifies his violent behavior, laughing at his victims and claiming the people he harms "should pay [their] debts like everybody else," this quotation indicates Julius is not a born monster but a made one. By advising Harri to "stay good" for as long as he can, Julius implies that there was a time before he turned to violence and feels some semblance of remorse.
Mamma likes it best when it’s a child who died. That’s when she prays the hardest. She prays proper hard and squeezes you until you think you’re going to burst. Grown-ups love sad news, it gives them something special to pray for.
In this quotation, Harri misunderstands why his mother fixates on news stories about child death. Since Mamma enjoys church and advises her children to pray, Harri assumes that any time his mother prays, it is a positive experience. In reality, Harri's mother prays fervently because she knows her children will always be in danger, though she does her best to protect them. This quotation exemplifies Harri's innocence: he is frequently unable to recognize when he is in danger and thus misses chances to ask his family for help.
In England they can never tell if it’s a trick or serious. I think they get tricked too much and it makes them forget what the serious feels like.
Harri makes this observation after he sincerely thanks the "chair car lady" for giving him a lift and apologizes for "the commotion" of the Dell Farm Crew chasing him. The "chair lady," used to being mocked and abused, assumes Harri is being sarcastic and curses him. This quotation is unexpectedly poignant, commenting on the elements of Harri's environment that breed gang violence. Since Harri's peers are used to danger, fear, and abuse, being defensive and vigilant become habits. In high-stress environments like Harri's estate, people try to appear tough as a survival strategy.
It wasn’t my fault they ruined the church. If I was in the gang I could tell them about God. I could even save them. A gang can be for good things, not just for tricks.
In this quotation, Harri tries to justify his desire to join the Dell Farm Crew by speculating that he could serve as a missionary for them. Though Harri doesn't want to commit crimes, his stated reason for wanting to join the gang is insincere. Throughout the text, Harri states that if he joins the Dell Farm crew, he will be "the big fish" and "all the little fish would be scared," protecting him from abuse. Thus, Harri convinces himself that if he teaches the Dell Farm Crew about God, he can benefit from their protection while maintaining his morals.
Sharks never sleep. They have to keep swimming or they’ll die so they’re not allowed to sleep at all, not even for one second.
Sea creatures fascinate Harri, and he peppers his narrative with zoological facts. This particular fact about sharks is symbolic. Young boys in Harri's neighborhood have to be like sharks, constantly moving and vigilant; otherwise, gangs can harm or even kill them. By using the image of a shark constantly swimming, the text invites the reader to imagine how stressful life in London is for Harry and his peers, and how such hypervigilance can push children to join gangs.
I was still very scared. Anybody can die, even a baby. They die every day. The dead boy never hurt anybody and he got chooked to death. I saw the blood. His blood. If it can happen to him it can happen to anybody.
When Agnes gets a fever, Harri is again confronted with his own mortality. Though he is an innocent child, Harri has seen his fair share of untimely deaths. This quotation, which marks Harri's realization that he could actually be in danger, foreshadows Harri's eventual murder.
"He needed to be strong for when the bad crimes started happening. He didn’t even know they were coming but God knew all along. God sent the spider to make him ready. I wish it would happen all the time like that. I could have saved my papa then."
In this quotation, Harri's friend Altaf explains that Spiderman, his favorite superhero, was not born with superpowers but was chosen by God, or rather bitten by a spider, which empowered him to fight crime. In this quotation, Altaf reveals that his fascination with superheroes began after his father was killed during the war in Somalia, though he was a civilian. This quotation demonstrates that Harri and his peers feel helpless in the face of violence and oppression and dream of ways to fight for themselves. To some extent, Harri and Altaf understand violence and danger, but as children, they can do little to prevent it and can only bear the trauma.
Everybody just watched the fire. They didn’t even want to talk anymore, they just wanted to watch. They couldn’t help it. They were stuck there. The playground was dying but nobody was trying to save it. They knew they couldn’t do anything, it was too hot and beautiful. They knew the fire would always win. It was brilliant and sad and hutious all at the same time.
Harri's neighborhood watches in silence as the playground burns after the Dell Farm Crew set fire to it. The quotation has an additional symbolic meaning; the burning playground symbolizes the loss of innocence wrought by youth violence in London. The playground represents childhood innocence, and the arson represents the destructive force of gang violence. Though Harri's community grieves the destruction, they cannot stop the blaze, though the firemen douse the flames in under a minute. Similarly, the community cannot prevent violence. However, the police are inept and abusive, exacerbating the problem.
