Fionnáin reviewed In a Free State by V. S. Naipaul
Review of 'In a Free State' on 'GoodReads'
3 stars
Mixed feelings. Naipaul is gifted in articulating a story about diaspora, paranoia and culture in displaced people, but the perceived viewpoint (and the narrative discussion) is foggy and sometimes questionable.
The book has three stories - the first is the strongest, holding itself together with an engaging character growth. The title piece, and the longest, is a magnificently written novel about white 'colonials' in an unnamed African state at a time of political upheaval. While the story is engaging, the context gets lost and the positioning of the central characters never allows for alternative points of view (this may have been intentional, but it seemed clunky).
I would like to read more by Naipaul, to get a better overall view of the author. But for the disassociation of people in a foreign culture I would recommend Doris Lessing's Children of Violence series, which in my opinion covers these themes more …
Mixed feelings. Naipaul is gifted in articulating a story about diaspora, paranoia and culture in displaced people, but the perceived viewpoint (and the narrative discussion) is foggy and sometimes questionable.
The book has three stories - the first is the strongest, holding itself together with an engaging character growth. The title piece, and the longest, is a magnificently written novel about white 'colonials' in an unnamed African state at a time of political upheaval. While the story is engaging, the context gets lost and the positioning of the central characters never allows for alternative points of view (this may have been intentional, but it seemed clunky).
I would like to read more by Naipaul, to get a better overall view of the author. But for the disassociation of people in a foreign culture I would recommend Doris Lessing's Children of Violence series, which in my opinion covers these themes more succinctly with an equally engaging voice.
