I think that the quiet start to the book makes for a firm grounding. Naipaul is ensuring his readers are serious. In order to get into the novel, A Bend in The River, you have to first pay close attention to the setup. Naipaul is not going to hook you in falsely with a mystical boom, he is going to set the landscape, the political scene, the serious tone and if you can tune in to hear the authors voice speaking low, as if to a grandchild, two notches below the voice of the others telling big stories in the den, you will be ready then, to hear the wisdom of a wise man. His thoughts, the self-depreciating ones, the honesty of his self-assessment and of the characters around him, are quite impressive.
I am interested in the way Naipaul draws impressions of new characters faces. He remarks especially on Ferdinand’s as being exotic as an African mask. This has a bit of mysticism to it, I am not sure if it is racist, or in his intention anyway as what the narrator means is Ferdinand appears guarded, i.e. “masked”. His mother is the token exotic so far in the novel, Zabeth. She is the nearest thing to a “hook” the novel has in drawing the reader in. Is it fair to lead with a strong mystical tactic? I was surprised upon finishing the first chapter to see Naipaul then leading in a fresh direction, as if rolling out the dough of the first batch, the setting, rolling out some scenery to the right, rolling out some politics to the left. At any rate, it shows the depth with which the book will dive, not just an adventure story, not just a social narrative.
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