A review by sudhahariharan
Half a Life by V.S. Naipaul

4.0

This is a novel about the search for one's identity. Willie Chandran"s father comes from a good family with a promising future, but he gives it all up in response to the mahatma's call (or so he believes) and becomes a mendicant. He takes a vow of silence which easily passes for wisdom among the common folk. He marries a woman from a "backward" caste because he thinks that it is the utmost form of the sacrifice he can make. Willie is shocked and thwarted by this family history.

Willie escapes to England to a world that is completely unfamiliar to him. He fumbles with his life, relationships, and work. He makes an attempt to write a book that isn't very successful. With no concrete plans for his future, he meets Ana and follows her to Mozambique. There, he lives with her for 18 years leading an uneventful life. He then realizes that his life has been a waste of time, gives up everything and goes to Germany, meets with his sister, and tries ging back to live his ambitions once again. He tells himself that he will finish his novel. Willie's life has a marvelous beginning, and through a series of odd steps he loses sight of his ambitions and lives only "half his life".

I love how the novel is written. Naipaul's depiction of the everyday life of WIllie Chandran and his struggle to find purpose in his life is exceptional. This semi-autobiographical book of vulnerability and unfulfillment is beautiful and potent.