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aerdna 's review for:
A Bend in the River
by V.S. Naipaul
An inward facing novel about the end of colonialism in Africa. The story is told from an interesting perspective that highlights the layer cake of society that is Africa during this time period- I didn't even realize there were all these business-minded Indian/Arabic transplants hanging around before those pesky Europeans. But they were. And it's so complicated- there's a clear hierarchy based on race/wealth/tribe and who knows what else, the dissolution of which is completely terrifying and the content of much of this book. The jail experience at the end of the book sums up exactly how disorienting this slow process of the unraveling of the social fabric is for those living it. For a non-African to be jailed is frightening and novel enough, but they are not yet quite at the point of beating the living tar out of him like the Africans they drag in from the bush. It is clearly the next step, however.
It can be frustrating, too, this middle perspective. The "Africans" blend into the background, mostly relegated to the marketplace, greedy bureaucrats, and the rubbish heaps dotting the streets in between (unnamed)'s apartment and the squash players at the Hellenic Club. There's a sense that the "real Africa" is unknowable, even to this guy living there all his life. One foot on the continent, another on the almost imaginary place his family originally comes from.
A couple interesting exceptions were Zabeth and Ferdinand. Ferdinand in particular becomes a symbol of the "New African," a young boy growing up during the transition who keeps trying on different identity caps. I'm using a whole lotta quotes here but it feels necessary, so many Concepts and People Standing in For Concepts. Anyway, he's got the Western education and all the alleged advantages that the end of the colonial period offered, but also a nagging sense of burden that he must Define His Country but first decide what, exactly, that country is.
It's such a strange mix of highflown ideals and greedy self-interest. I was holding my breath to see which won out in the end, which I won't spoil here. But I found it strangely unputdownable for a book in which not much really...happens.
It can be frustrating, too, this middle perspective. The "Africans" blend into the background, mostly relegated to the marketplace, greedy bureaucrats, and the rubbish heaps dotting the streets in between (unnamed)'s apartment and the squash players at the Hellenic Club. There's a sense that the "real Africa" is unknowable, even to this guy living there all his life. One foot on the continent, another on the almost imaginary place his family originally comes from.
A couple interesting exceptions were Zabeth and Ferdinand. Ferdinand in particular becomes a symbol of the "New African," a young boy growing up during the transition who keeps trying on different identity caps. I'm using a whole lotta quotes here but it feels necessary, so many Concepts and People Standing in For Concepts. Anyway, he's got the Western education and all the alleged advantages that the end of the colonial period offered, but also a nagging sense of burden that he must Define His Country but first decide what, exactly, that country is.
It's such a strange mix of highflown ideals and greedy self-interest. I was holding my breath to see which won out in the end, which I won't spoil here. But I found it strangely unputdownable for a book in which not much really...happens.