For a relatively short novel, Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia is a big and unwieldy ... most for this is Karim’s relationship with Charlie, a teenage peer who topples into self ...

Dishy Charlie (a dazzling debut from Tommy Belshaw), the son of Haroon’s purring white mistress (Lucy Thackeray), is also trying on identities as he seduces Karim and lusts for Bowie-esque fame.

But the book that made Kureishi a literary star was his debut novel, The Buddha of Suburbia, published in 1990. He joined The Book Show to discuss the story behind his much-loved novel.