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A review by adperfectamconsilium
A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
'The very day the house was bought they began to see flaws in it.'
The prologue tells us the end and yet this takes nothing away from the story.
A book of epic length but an almost mundane quest. Mr Biswas just wants a house of his own.
Set in Trinidad and following the fortunes of two Indian families, Mr Biswas and his family and the Tulsi's into which he marries there's a sense of dislocation to his life throughout. A feeling of never belonging. Living with in laws and rented accommodation. Following Hindu customs in a different country than his ancestors.
The book is the story of his life. Filled with bad luck from the start there's a darkly comic thread throughout as his misfortunes, many of which he brings on himself, shine a light on the frustrations, aggravations and struggles with mental well-being that we all experience.
I started the novel thinking I'd be invested in seeing him try to achieve his goal of owning his own house and yet he's a very unlikeable character. But so are the rest of the cast. They bicker and argue, extended Tulsi family living under one roof, flogging the children on a regular basis.
It's not a page turner. The slow pace and the frustrations felt at the way the characters acted led to me putting the book aside often while reading other books.
But as I neared halfway it all clicked. I related more to the humour and started noticing the dialogue more with characters coming out with funny, clever and entertaining comments.
It's a book to take slowly just like life. It's beauty is in showing all the setbacks and struggles life throws at us and if we've not achieved everything we imagined that maybe it doesn't matter because we can lay the foundations for the next generation.
The writing style sucks you in, immerses you in the families and culture.
It admits that life is a struggle for most and that we're not going to like everyone we meet.
I'm glad I persevered with this one. Mr Biswas led an ordinary but also extraordinary life and the ending was bitter sweet.
The prologue tells us the end and yet this takes nothing away from the story.
A book of epic length but an almost mundane quest. Mr Biswas just wants a house of his own.
Set in Trinidad and following the fortunes of two Indian families, Mr Biswas and his family and the Tulsi's into which he marries there's a sense of dislocation to his life throughout. A feeling of never belonging. Living with in laws and rented accommodation. Following Hindu customs in a different country than his ancestors.
The book is the story of his life. Filled with bad luck from the start there's a darkly comic thread throughout as his misfortunes, many of which he brings on himself, shine a light on the frustrations, aggravations and struggles with mental well-being that we all experience.
I started the novel thinking I'd be invested in seeing him try to achieve his goal of owning his own house and yet he's a very unlikeable character. But so are the rest of the cast. They bicker and argue, extended Tulsi family living under one roof, flogging the children on a regular basis.
It's not a page turner. The slow pace and the frustrations felt at the way the characters acted led to me putting the book aside often while reading other books.
But as I neared halfway it all clicked. I related more to the humour and started noticing the dialogue more with characters coming out with funny, clever and entertaining comments.
It's a book to take slowly just like life. It's beauty is in showing all the setbacks and struggles life throws at us and if we've not achieved everything we imagined that maybe it doesn't matter because we can lay the foundations for the next generation.
The writing style sucks you in, immerses you in the families and culture.
It admits that life is a struggle for most and that we're not going to like everyone we meet.
I'm glad I persevered with this one. Mr Biswas led an ordinary but also extraordinary life and the ending was bitter sweet.