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A review by crazygoangirl
Half a Life by V.S. Naipaul
4.0
This one had lived on my shelves for far too long. I'm glad I finally read it - was pleasantly surprised that I liked it so much :)
This is my first Naipaul and I wan't sure quite what to expect. What I got was a layered narrative, textured characters and fine language. This is a short book, just over 220 pages but boy does it pack a punch! I like family sagas, and although this one is a physically short read, it is no less, epic in scope.
We follow Willie Chandran, a mixed-caste boy from India who grapples with issues of identity, belonging, family, values, friendship and love amongst others, as he grows up first, in a recently Independent India and then in London and Africa. I identified strongly with Willie - with his meandering approach to life, never truly settling down to one thing or one place; a seeker, an explorer but not quite a settler. As Willie tests the waters, he is inevitably drawn toward stronger characters. In their company he becomes more confident and assertive, drawing from these same qualities in them, if only for short periods of time before his inherent, natural malaise returns.
For me, the concept of 'half a life' represents Willie's struggle to find his identity, and his place in the world. He doesn't fit neatly into any box and so floats from one place to the next, one friend to the next, one thought to the next - with no heed to permanence. Naipaul's prose is a beautiful balance between incisive and philosophical. His characters tend to think, often overthink and yet he never feels repetitive, never over writes!
Half a Life is a treasury of 'full circle' moments. Naipaul brings these to fruition with formidable skill. The parallels between characters are envisioned with insight and authenticity. He is indeed a raconteur par excellence and I enjoyed my first dip into his considerable body of work. None of the intimidating density of award winning authors here. Just a fine story, wonderfully told :)
This is my first Naipaul and I wan't sure quite what to expect. What I got was a layered narrative, textured characters and fine language. This is a short book, just over 220 pages but boy does it pack a punch! I like family sagas, and although this one is a physically short read, it is no less, epic in scope.
We follow Willie Chandran, a mixed-caste boy from India who grapples with issues of identity, belonging, family, values, friendship and love amongst others, as he grows up first, in a recently Independent India and then in London and Africa. I identified strongly with Willie - with his meandering approach to life, never truly settling down to one thing or one place; a seeker, an explorer but not quite a settler. As Willie tests the waters, he is inevitably drawn toward stronger characters. In their company he becomes more confident and assertive, drawing from these same qualities in them, if only for short periods of time before his inherent, natural malaise returns.
For me, the concept of 'half a life' represents Willie's struggle to find his identity, and his place in the world. He doesn't fit neatly into any box and so floats from one place to the next, one friend to the next, one thought to the next - with no heed to permanence. Naipaul's prose is a beautiful balance between incisive and philosophical. His characters tend to think, often overthink and yet he never feels repetitive, never over writes!
Half a Life is a treasury of 'full circle' moments. Naipaul brings these to fruition with formidable skill. The parallels between characters are envisioned with insight and authenticity. He is indeed a raconteur par excellence and I enjoyed my first dip into his considerable body of work. None of the intimidating density of award winning authors here. Just a fine story, wonderfully told :)