A Bend in the River in Around the World

Jun 09, 2011 Kate Z rated it it was ok

I was going to read Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. I really really was. But even though I have really liked most of the recent books I've read I feel like I've become this read-bot just reading all these indie bookstore picks by American authors. I just had to jump out of my rut and read something ELSE. I read Half A Life a few years ago and enjoyed it in that "I like anti-colonialism literature" kind of way and I've had A Bend In the River sitting on my shelf since then. It promises to be nega I was going to read Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. I really really was. But even though I have really liked most of the recent books I've read I feel like I've become this read-bot just reading all these indie bookstore picks by American authors. I just had to jump out of my rut and read something ELSE. I read Half A Life a few years ago and enjoyed it in that "I like anti-colonialism literature" kind of way and I've had A Bend In the River sitting on my shelf since then. It promises to be negative and misogynistic and anti-colonial ... and decidedly not an "Indie pick" and right now that's what I'm going for.

I recently read the interview with V.S. Naipaul where much was made of his statement that no female writer can hold a candle to him and that he can tell if something is written by a female just by reading the first paragraph. I took the subsequent survey to see if I could identify female writers by one paragraph - presumably by their simpering, overly emotional tone or diction (I scored 4/10 and the quiz told me I needed to read more). That was a big factor in my motivation to read this book.

I vividly remember a discussion about "character novels" where nothing really happens but a character is layed out, flayed, and dissected from tip to toe. I said I liked novels like that. A Bend in the River fits into this category - with one major qualification - and it's made me change my stance on those so-called character novels.

To back up a bit, when I taught high school English I used to admonish students that whenever you see a river as a major piece of setting in a novel you should immediately think "life". River = life. It's one of the main metaphors. Add to that a certain amount of eye rolling. River = life. Okay, move on. This novel is titled "A Bend In The River". If you bear the above metaphor in mind, that tells you just about everything you need to understand about the novel, save one thing.

Salim, the main character, an Indian who has moved from the coast of Africa to the interior (the "heart" of Africa) at "A Bend In The River". The tension of this novel on it's most basic level is between being a "new man of Africa" or a "man of new Africa". This is a post-colonial Africa struggling to (re)define itself.

There's more to it in the details but that's the gist. I'm glad I read it but I'm also glad to be moving on. I would recommend this book to very few people. The writing didn't "wow" me and the rest, from the imagery, the tone, the characterization was just just what I expected. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Suzanne rated it liked it

Shelves: boxall-s-1001-list, fiction

“The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.”

A Bend in the River is the story of Salim, a native of India, who travels to Africa in search of a better life. He finds himself at a town at the bend of a large river in a newly independent African nation. The author does not name this nation, but only claims that it is centrally located, just east of Uganda. Salim purchases a shop for a greatly discounted rate – it’s owner having left f “The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.”

A Bend in the River is the story of Salim, a native of India, who travels to Africa in search of a better life. He finds himself at a town at the bend of a large river in a newly independent African nation. The author does not name this nation, but only claims that it is centrally located, just east of Uganda. Salim purchases a shop for a greatly discounted rate – it’s owner having left for “safer” Uganda.

This was not an “easy” book to read. While the writing was excellent, the storyline was kind of dull, and the characters lifeless. The only reason I didn’t give up on the book, was it’s length. I decided it was short enough to carry on through to the end. That said, I appreciated having Salim as the narrator. In the beginning he talked about how Africans (and other third world peoples under foreign rule) felt like slaves, and only wanted to be treated like men. As the story progressed, we see how power corrupts those who wield it, and the country suffers. Salim is eventually forced to leave Africa, taking up residence in London, but he never feels comfortable there. He is not familiar with it’s customs and feels he is taken advantage of. It is not long before he heads back to Africa, only to find that the new government has nationalized all the businesses, his included. It reminded me a bit of Atlas Shrugged, where the current government and it’s followers are nothing but looters, who don’t know the first thing about business. They take and take, and when they have ruined the businesses they stole, they seek to take from anyone to even appears to have some wealth. Which is unfortunate for Salim, who must this time escape from Africa.

There are some books, while not particularly enjoyable to read, are none the less important because of the issues they present. A Bend in the River is one of those books. It definitely left me thinking long after I’d finished reading it. Perhaps that is why the author won the Nobel Prize in Literature. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2010 Yrinsyde rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books-challenge, university-library

I absolutely adored reading this novel. The first I've read of Naipaul and it won't be the last. I felt so close to the town, I could almost taste the air. Having visited Malaysia before reading this novel gave me a real sense of having experienced the environment that Naipaul describes - the concrete shops, the tropical environment, red earth, hard rain and exotic trees. This novel also left me with a sort of understanding of the various peoples of Africa. I also discovered something about Musl ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2011 Beth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 6-books-6-countries-6-continents, 1001-books, around-the-world-group, nobel

I liked this book, but compared with some of my Africa reads from last year (Nervous Conditions, Things Fall Apart, and Devil on the Cross), it did not move me as much as I'd hoped. There was a vibrancy in all the books I have just mentioned that was missing in this book. This book had a colder, calculated, more observational tone. The former books were written by native Africans who clearly had passion for their countries and their experiences of post-colonial life. Naipal is Trinidadian, and h ...more

Like · see review