What did you think of A Bend in the River?

[Lobstergirl]

I thought this was amazing. If you read it, what did you think?

[Petra X]

I liked it a lot. My favourite Naipaul books though are his early ones set in Trinidad, although I also appreciate his more political writings.

[Sharon]

I loved Bend in the River until it came to the wife beating. I know I know it's fiction. It's a character, not the author. I looked around at critique of Naipaul and found he was kinda freaky. I think I'll look elsewhere for books about Africa.

[Lobstergirl]

I agree, the slapping around of the mistress was a discordant note, for me. It was really the only thing in the book that bothered me. It was unexpected; nothing in Salim's character had suggested that might happen.

[Heathercheryl]

Does anyone remember a quote from this book, I think it was in the early part, where something was lacking and the village people were displaying their things? It stuck with me for a long time but I can no longer remember the exact words. Something like, ". . . so we displayed our things."

[☯Emily]

It is a modern day version of Heart of Darkness. Both books are included in Empire Literature courses and it is fascinating to read these books together. Also, read King Leopold's Ghost to get a non-fiction background to both books.

I suggest ignoring Naipaul and his "freakiness" in order to appreciate the book.

[David]

I think this is the finest of the novels I've read by Naipaul - much less purple than Guerillas.

[Irina]

Louis-Ferdinand Celine said that the role of the novel as it was seen in the 19th c., namely a mirror of reality, isn't necessary anymore now (as of the middle of 20th c.), when TV, newspapers and media in general can give pertinent information. The novel should be more about STYLE, nuance of feelings and thoughts of the narrator, and not plain, objective, sententious discourse and descriptions. Which is the case of A Bend of the River: informative, but dull as a novel.

[Sarah]

I thought hisbeating up Yvette made a certain amount of narrative sense- mirroring the simmering violence that would later errupt in the town. I also thought it made a certain amount of character sense- when Metty says a few lines later that he knows things about Selim's family, and begs Selim to just walk it off with him down the river, we realize we know so little about Selim's family and the potential for violence there. I also felt it made a certain amount of character sense- he never displayed a huge amount of respect for women, he'd been repressing feelings of impotence and fear and rage for quite a while at that point- the scene gelled for me.

[Sarah]

Whoops, I said it made a certain amount of character sense twice. I am my own worst editor!