A House for Mr Biswas [1961] by V. S. Naipaul – ★★★★

Set in colonial Trinidad, A House for Mr Biswas is a novel about a man who always finds himself on the fringes of society and affection, desperately trying to gain independence in life and own his own house, which stands for acceptance and unconditional love in the story. However, Mohun Biswas is disadvantaged from the start. For one thing, he was born under an unlucky star. When he was only a small child, his sneeze was already deemed to bring misfortune, and, on the advice of a local sage, he was also kept away from water “in case something happens”. And, something did happen. Later, Mohun learnt how to be a shop sign painter, and also worked as a rum-bottler, shopkeeper and a sub-overseer at a plantation, before finally settling into the profession of a journalist in Port of Spain. All he ever wanted in life was “to paddle his own canoe”, but, first, he lived under the thumb of his own poor family, and then under the direction of his wife’s sprawling dynasty – the Tulsis. This book by V. S. Naipaul is probably an allegory of living in a colonized country, in this instance, a country under the British rule, and touches on many themes, including familial power dynamics, freedom vs. responsibility, and desire vs. duty.

Continue reading “Mini-Reviews: A House for Mr Biswas, & Wittgenstein’s Nephew” →