A Bend in the River

By: V. S. Naipaul

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In this incandescent novel, V.S. Naipaul takes us deeply into the life of one man, an Indian who, uprooted by the bloody tides of Third World history, has come to live in an isolated town at the bend of a great river in a newly independent African nation. Naipaul gives us the most convincing and disturbing vision yet of what happens in a place caught between the dangerously alluring modern world and its own tenacious past and traditions.

©1979 V.S. Naipaul (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A brilliant novel." (The New York Times)
"Confirms Naipaul's position as one of the best writers now at work." (Newsweek)

A realistic look at post-colonial Africa

This is a great book that looks at the trials and conflicts faced by post-colonial Africa. I lived in a small village in West Africa for three years and can relate to many of the observations and stories told in this book, though perhaps not as dire. I have not read any other V.S.Naipaul, but I enjoyed the realism of the main character he created. While I do not agree with some of his decisions and sudden actions, especially in the case of the affair he has and it's violent ending, he creates a flawed narrator that adds authenticity to the story. While I also found the ending rather sudden, I am sure there is symbolism there that I am missing. The narrator of the audiobook does a great job but goes rather fast. The lack of pauses between chapter and section endings and starts makes the scene changes hard to catch sometimes. Overall an enjoyable listen and an apt book for anyone who has spent time in the more remote areas of Africa.

Interesting look into a mystifying culture.

The book was a peek into the strange culture of Africa after the colonial period of it’s history. The writer shows that until the revolutionary times, the country still operates much as it had during the colonial times. The fact that he, a third generation African, did not consider himself as African was very telling.

Good writing, but mixed reaction

I've listened to this twice, several years apart. The first time almost nothing grabbed me. The second time I deliberately listened to hear the sights and sounds of a country during the transition from a colony to an independent nation. Naipaul is of course a suburb writer, so I got what I wanted. But the story is slow moving and depressing and the characters are not likable.

Great writer, trash human - ok to skip this

Last year I re-read Naipaul’s ‘Guerillas’ which was the first of his books I read on recommendation from a high school teacher in ~1980. The prose and storytelling remain good, but the way the author’s misogyny in particular leaks into the narrative was distracting.

‘A Bend in the RIver’ from 1979 is regarded along with 1961’s ‘A House for Mr Biswas’ as his greatest novels. Told from the perspective of Salim, a merchant and Indian transplant to an unnamed Central African country with similarities to the former Zaire. There are post-colonial themes of the struggles in Africa and the plight of outsiders as the continent seeks to reestablish its identity.

The narrative and growing and spreading tension are all extremely well done - Naipaul is a master in setting up grand scenes that maintain a singular human perspective.

Yet it is in that perspective that I find Naipaul’s greatest weaknesses, things that tell me just as I consider 2022 my final re-read of Guerillas, I will never pick up this novel again - the stunted human views are simply not worth enduring.

Naipaul is well known as a horrible misogynist - some things, like his assertion that all women writers are inherently inferior to men, were known shortly before his death. But his physical abuse and domination and poor treatment of women came out more recently. These revelations make certain scenes in his books more stark and disturbing.

Also disturbing was the inherent base violence and malevolence attributed to African men as if part of some inescapable racial characteristic not found in outsiders. By writing off violence as inherently African, and inferiority as inherently a characteristic of women … Naipaul undercuts any other insights he makes throughout the book.

I was conflicted as I finished and closed my more than 40 year old first edition paperback - Naipaul was an incredibly gifted writer, but an incredibly flawed and limited human. Those things are more broadly on display here than in Guerillas (which is viewed as one of his worst novels, but which I greatly prefer). I will eventually re-read ‘A House for Mr. Biswas’ but need a palate cleanser (or several) first!

Beautiful, insightful, troubling

First of all, I love the beautiful simplicity of this story of change and spiraling evolution in a crossroads African village on a Bend in the River (Congo?).

Here is a modern novel, way above the class of the recent wave of complex and cliche ridden historical fictions. Here is a 'tip of the iceberg' novel, where so many layers of meaning and emotions arise out of an almost childlike diary-like narrative and run very deep. I was thinking about this book for a week after I read it and, could not, did not want to start another book until this one had settled a little in my psyche - A lot like listening to a great piece of music or having a spectacular meal and then not want to here or eat anything special for a while.

I found the experience of reading/listening to be nothing less than transendental, on the order of a Kawabata or Steinbeck. This is the counterpart to the difficult modern fiction of Joyce, Faulkner, Woolf, and even Rushdie. Here, less is more and absolutely no struggling is required on the part of the reader, yet the author seems to effortlessly take you to on a journey that is compared to Hearts of Darkness, but there is nothing murky here. The waters are clear and devastating.

RECOMMEND

In checking Wikipedia I found out that this book is on the list of 100 best English language novels of the 20th century.
It surely is a book well worth listening to.
This is the second book by mr. V.S. Naipaul I have listened to and it certainly will not be the last.
As usual, the narrator mr. Simon Vance, is a joy to listen to.
My thanks to all, JK

Bend in the River - Post Colonial East Africa

Book: I enjoyed the book since it is three interesting points. It is a story about East Africa after independence and from a Muslim of Indio-Pakistan descent. These factors provide an interesting point of view in time, place, and circumstances. It is not fast pace story but moves at an acceptable speed.

Performance: The reader is professional and good actor. He enhances the text.

Excellent Book of Life in Africa

Would you listen to A Bend in the River again? Why?

I enjoyed reading this book, but I'm not sure if I would read it again and it isn't placed among my favorites. It is very well written and paints a picture of Africa that puts the reader there, but it's not necessarily a gripping tale.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best about the book were the details of life that the characters went through, they give the story more life and texture.

Which scene was your favorite?

None of the individual scenes stood out that much to me, the dramatic events seemed to happen abruptly and without fanfare.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I feel that some things in the book were a bit of a let down. For instance, Salim's romance with Yvette was promising but then abruptly ended with violence that was unjustified and unexplained to the reader. Salim was done with her, but why did he beat her? It doesn't make sense.

Any additional comments?

Simon Vance was, once again, outstanding. I would never think twice about listening to one of his narrations.

This guy knows how to write

Listened to this book may be 10 years ago. Enjoyed it very much. Still recall the experience of listening fondly.

Excellent Read

Interesting view of the place, characters, human dynamic, survival. Punguntly written. I enjoyed every page.