Reading 1001 discussion

Rating: 2.5 Stars
Read: April 2017

I have read a few of Naipaul's books, both on and off the list, and this is my least favorite. Don't get me wrong - it isn't a bad book. Its just that his books are usually much better. I struggled with this one. The book is set in a post-colonial African country and has assortment of characters from different backgrounds hailing from different parts of the globe. They are all dealing with life in a strange land. I had difficulty warming up to the characters and their situations, however.

Overall, I really like Naipaul's writing, but I had difficulty getting in to the story line and relating to the characters. I may try to re-read this some day and see if I feel any differently.

My experience with this book was actually the opposite of Diane's. I previously read his book "The Middle Passage", and thought it was...meh. He also once claimed that no female writer that ever lived was his equal, so to read a book I thought was mediocre on top of that really put me off of the man.

But, despite my dislike of him as a person, I actually really enjoyed this novel and gave it 4 stars.

It follows 3 different stories that deal in the theme of the price of freedom, and the folly of marginalized people in thinking that simply moving (such as from India to the US, or the UK) or changing governments (in an African nation in the third story)will magically grant them privilege and liberty. It explores the complicated intersectionality of marginalization, systemic wealth inequity, and oppression.

I appreciated all 3 stories, but I think the last one, about a British official and a colleague's wife travelling through an unnamed African nation going through an abrupt and violent regime change was my favorite.

I was wary about reading his work on the list, but I'm more optimistic about reading the other 2 now. Unless they remind me of "The Middle Passage", then he can really go f**K himself about his comments.

I enjoyed this novel by V.S. Naipaul, published 1971 and winner of the 1971 Booker and the Nobel prize winner in literature. It is really unique in its structure for 1971. Written with prologue and epilogue that book ends the 3 short stories between (supporting narratives). The book examines the experience of displacement. This book starts with a prologue of a narrator who is on the ferry to Egypt and ends with an epilogue that has the narrator returning to Egypt as a visitor. These were taken from the author's own travel journals. See https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2...
I found it very interesting to read this article and it made my experience of reading the book a better experience. Naipaul catches the experience of displacement but he also does the same with the changing climate of colonialism.
The three supporting narratives
#1: "One out of Many", Santosh, an Indian servant in Washington DC
#2: "Tell Me Who To Kill", narrated by a poor and poorly educated Indian Trinidadian in London
#3: "In a Free State", third-person narrative about a long car journey undertaken by two English people, Bobby and Linda, across an unnamed East African country. There is quite a bit of tension as storm clouds are brewing.
Naipaul traveled through Africa in 1966 and was basically homeless from 1966 to 1971. He lived in Scotland, London, Canada, the United States, Gloucester. His own unique experiences have given life to his writings. This book did deserve the Booker, the author did merit the Nobel award. I do recommend this article if you are going to read Naipaul.

I rated it 4.6 stars.

Booker Prize winner of 1971, unusual in its structure, and full of tension and complexity. The book consists of two short and one longer novella, bookended by brief journal extracts by an unnamed traveller to Egypt.

One out of Many is the story of an Indian servant whose boss takes him with him to Washington, where his apparent freedom serves only to leave him isolated. Tell Me Who to Kill has similar themes, but here the main character has left his Caribbean home to follow his brother to England where he finds his efforts undermined, leading to tragedy. The longer story, In a Free Stateis the tale of a hellish road trip through an unnamed African country which is falling into disorder and danger. Bobby, a Government official, agrees to give Linda (wife of another official) a lift back to their compound, but the journey reveals the darker and more violent side of the country to them and challenges their restricted views.

These stories are written with precision and intensity, revealing both the beauty of the places where they are set and the menace that lurks below the surface. The emotions of the characters, their yearnings and disappointments, and their sense of displacement burst out from the rather elegant prose in a surprising way that increases the tension in each work.

Personally, I found the two shorter novellas more moving and engaging than In a Free State - the first person narrative carries the reader along and right into these painful stories. Bobby and Linda are rather irritating (in different ways) and their bickering alienated me, but I loved the way the African landscape was described and highlighted the chaos that was taking hold. Overall, Naipaul is a skilful and evocative writer and this was definitely worth reading.