Krishna
After the highly enjoyable book A House for Mr. Biswas, this is my second story by VS Naipaul, the famous and controversial author.
This is a story of how Africa tries to change and yet does not. Hard-hitting in true Naipaul style but yet it comes out as inadequate. Read on to see why I think so.
Narrator Salim drives in his Peugot across Africa. A trader who sets up shop and has customers like Zabeth who buys things in bulk from him to sell to others in her village. She is an adventurous woman who risks her boat everyday to get supplies from passing ship and evades corrupt officials looking for a bribe. Keeps all her money dangerously in a purse since she does not trust banks.
African slaves led a complicated lives, some of them not wanting to be freed. Arabs of the north and west assimilated with African slaves.
Salim was influenced by Nasiruddin who was a businessman and affected foreign mannerisms of the white folks. When the crash in Africa came he was savvy enough to have gotten out his investments earlier. He goes to his destination just to find the city in ruins and the Greeks and the Europeans keeping to themselves. He makes friends with three Indian families.
His slave Metty comes and looks transformed, gaining respect and making himself useful to Salim. There is a good customer Zabeth, whose son, Ferdinand was left to study in the French college (lycee) and became a ward of Salim. However, it is with Metty that he bonded well.
Ferdinand tries different persona on different days. When he finally steals the ledger from a European and Europe loving priest who collects Africana, Salim makes him give it back. Is angry with Ferdinand.
War seem to loom over the country again but foreign army lands to forestall it. They stay in a local hotel. Mahesh and Shobha are in fear. Shoba seems to vent her frustrations in a rage on her husband.
The reverend who loves Africa but admires the West dies during one of his visits to his parishioners, killed by the people. The prose of Naipaul sparkles, unstinting in holding a mirror to both the good and bad of Africa. The interesting thing though is that he does not name the country or the leader or the political party in any of these descriptions. It is very generic.
When Africa booms, Salim still finds that the army which now has enforced peace is also venal and the new big man who has plans for the country has no clue on the right things to do. Salim finds that his old friend Indar is from the government and when he goes into town to see for himself, he sees a whole other world and realizes that he has had his head in the sand, living a truly provincial life so far.
Salim meets Raymond (old) and his very young wife Yvette who have the direct blessings of the big man in the capital and comes under their spell too. When Indar leaves, Yvette becomes his paramour.
As Raymond gets more and more alienated and as Salim begins to realize that even his works are mediocre, he gets more disillusioned but increases his bedtime activities with Yvette. She plans to return to her native Belgium, having herself been disillusioned by her husband, whom she thought was a rising political intellectual giant.
There is a chilling scene where Salim beats Yvette with his bare hands, slapping her around. Chilling why? Naipaul himself was accused of doing exactly the same to his mistress. I wonder if this story was written before or after that real life incident. In both cases there are profound implications. Shoba goes to visit her family when her father dies but cannot take it. (They hated her for marrying Mahesh against their wishes all those years ago)
Finally when the pressure begins to tell, and when the ‘new’ African country (‘Dominion’) turns into a dangerous rebellion of people against the no longer popular Big Man, Salim leaves for England on a visitor’s visa.
When he comes back not only does he found changes so profound as to be incomprehensible and also personal danger awaiting him.
Ending sticks with you but most of it is very painfully slow.
5/10
– – Krishna (Feb 2019)