Bat

Bat is a young West Indian immigrant living in London with his younger sister. He shares a small basement apartment with another man and struggles to make ends meet working odd jobs. He dreams of having his own house to share with his friends and more respect from the racist English society. He devises a plan to save his friends’ money and coordinate their home-buying effort by himself. The historical background of Black immigrants in 1960s London frames Bat’s story as discrimination and prejudice toward Black borrowers made it nearly impossible for them to obtain mortgages.

At the beginning of the novel, Bat seems to be a morally upright character who truly wants to own a house and ascend into respectable society. He demands that the entire group sacrifice their enjoyment of alcohol and cigarettes to fund the housing lark. On his own part, however, Bat is...