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cjvillahermosa 's review for:
A Bend in the River
by V.S. Naipaul
A Bend in the River is a novel that totally impresses you, leaves you with philosophical insights about colonization, assimilation, international relations, and the still unanswered existential question of "What are we? Who are we? Why are we in this world?". That is not to say that this novel reads like a textbook or a Kierkegaard lite. There is a plot (a thinly-disguised account of the life of an Indian foreigner in Zaire during Mobutu Sese Seko's tyrannical reign). There are characters, although all of them are beset with existential problems.
I gave only four stars because I didn't thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I feel like I'm studying for an exam. This novel takes away the joy in reading. Despite the fact that I filled several pages of my notebook with scribbles from this novel, there was no "pause for a while, take a deep breath, and say a cuss word in deep admiration for this book" instance.
I gave only four stars because I didn't thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I feel like I'm studying for an exam. This novel takes away the joy in reading. Despite the fact that I filled several pages of my notebook with scribbles from this novel, there was no "pause for a while, take a deep breath, and say a cuss word in deep admiration for this book" instance.