A Bend in the River

This book is as much a story of what it was like living in a newly independent country in Africa in the 1960’s - 1970’s as it is a novel. The book has memorable opening lines: “The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.” The main charact......more

Say there's a bad guy. He's in a book; the book is well-written; fine, there are many books about bad guys. Say further that the book is written by a bad guy. Fine; lots of authors are dicks. Now say that the author is unaware that they're both bad guys. He hasn't written the book he thinks he's wri......more

I always find it difficult to talk about the books I really like. Especially so if it is a Naipaul book. I read The Bend again this year and found it much more ensorcelling than first time around . I guess what is so appealing about the book is its sense of diligence, a discipline which attempts to......more

“What’s this? Three measly stars for a book by a writer Mr Robert McCrum called “the greatest living writer of English prose” and said A Bend in the River was his masterpiece. And he includes it in his list of the 100 best novels EVER. Like, EVER.” “Well, you know, a cat may look at a king and blah b......more