Half a Life by V. S. Naipaul
A devastatingly moving and often very funny novel from a masterful voice
In a corner of India untouched by anti-colonial agitation Willy Chandran's father stood at odds with the world – aspiring to greatness whilst living out the dreary life marked out for him by his ancestors. In an attempt to defy his past, he marries a low-caste woman only to find himself at the mercy of his own fury. From this unhappy union the utterly compelling character of Willy Chandran emerges, oddly like his father, naively eager to find something that will place him both in and apart from the world. He is drawn to England and the immigrant community of post war London, its dingy West End clubs, and sexual encounters, and even to the eccentric milieu of the English writer.
But it is Willy's first experience of love that might bring him the fulfilment he so desperately seeks. His wife Ana leads him to her home, a province of Portuguese Africa, a country whose inhabitants are all uncertainly living out the last days of colonialism.
Naipaul delineates the relationship between father and son with wonderful clarity and compassion; the comic brilliance of the London scenes and the penetrating descriptions of Africa are hard to beat.
A masterpiece of economy and emotional nuance, Half a Life is an indelible feat of the imagination.
Format: Paperback | 224 pages
Dimensions (cm): 20.3 x 13 x 1.4 | 248g
Publication Date: 08 Oct 2002
Publisher: Random House
Imprint: Vintage Books
Publication City/Country: New York, United States
Language: English
Edition Number: 1
Edition Statement: First Vintage International Edition
ISBN10: 037570728X
ISBN13: 9780375707285
Condition: Good
A vintage book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including minor scuff marks along the edges, and very minor discolouring on the back cover, parallel to the spine, but no holes or tears. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing, but no tearing. No pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text and no writing in margins. No missing pages.