Broken Greek

Broken Greek by Pete Paphides (2020 Quercus Kindle edition)

 

Pete Paphides is a well-known and respected music journalist in the UK. I knew very little about him apart from what I’ve gathered during his guest spots on assorted podcasts and radio shows in recent years. He also happens to be married to the writer Caitlin Moran, which I guess makes him a lucky man.

Paphides (referred to by the affectionate term ‘takis’ by friends and family in the book) is the second child of Greek (mother) and Cypriot Greek (father) parents who moved to the UK in the 1960s. They fully intended to move back to the island once they had made their fortune but political instability and a Turkish invasion in the early 1970s thwarted their plans, something that would later become a source of tension in the relationship.

The book covers a roughly decade-long section of his childhood, from starting primary school to a brutal playground incident in his early High School years. A couple of chapters also tell the story of his ancestors through the turmoil of 20^th century wars and upheavals, ending with his parents meeting and deciding to emigrate.

When we first encounter Pete (a name he later adopts for himself in school) he has, for inexplicable reasons, decided not to talk to anyone outside his immediate family. This frustrates parents and teachers alike and a round of therapy is no help. In the end its his older brother Aki who manages to break the spell after 4 long years.

The book is very warm and human especially when it evokes the feeling of being a child in control of nothing and not quite understanding how the wider world works yet.

The real backbone of the story is music – the young Pete is fascinated and captivated by the pop music he hears and sees on television, often going into elaborate fantasies about music stars becoming his surrogate parents. We learn his early reactions and thoughts about the various hits of the day contrasted with what he now knows about the songs and artists. As the years go on and his parents’ relationship becomes strained, he withdraws more and more into music as an escape. He makes a case against musical snobbery – as a child he loves it all and only later learns what is and isn’t supposed to be ‘cool’.

I enjoyed this book and hope there’s a sequel, we’re left seeing him as a young teenager having an epiphany about his so-called friends and his place in the world. What happens next would be nice to know.