Beni’s Game by Paul Alkazraji

'Beni’s Game’ is a short story about a small boat crossing to the UK, and a deportation flight back to Albania. Three people are waiting for Beni at the airport; two of them are armed; one has a matter to settle with him.

‘As the lights were dimmed for the descent, Beni glanced around him; there were so many British officials on board. He felt the pocket of his rucksack and the flat, oblong form inside to check it was still there. No one’s found it, he thought. He wiped the moisture on his palms along his thighs.’

'Beni's Game' is based on characters in two novels by Paul Alkazraji 'The Silencer' and 'The Migrant'

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0034OJYLK

Find out more about the author here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5655990.Paul_AlkazrajiEmail. 

Review

This is a poignant short story of a an Albanian young man who is being deported back to Albania from the UK. This can be an emotive topic and Paul has deals with it with plenty of empathy and understanding. It might be a short story but you can flesh out the story with your own knowledge of what is happening with the Channel crossing and people’s experiences when they arrive in the UK. It is not always a happy story. You only need to look in the news to see evidence of trafficking and the horrible situation people end up in.

Beni’s story is packed full of rich details and manages to pack a lot in its 10 pages! There is the crossing, deportation, car chase and much more. You really fly through the pages and I must admit I would love this to be made into a full book as I believe it would be an important story to read!

Let me know if you pick this one up!