I want to say upfront that A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul has been one of the most sublime reading experiences I have had in the past couple of years.
V.S Naipaul was born, of Indian ancestry, in Trinidad in 1932. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. I have read a few books about the Indian immigrant experience in USA or UK, but not about other countries, and I always wanted to try something by Naipaul. Then my manager recommended I start with A House for Mr. Biswas – praising it to the skies.
At first glimpse, the story didn’t sound that interesting to me. It seemed like 800 pages of no plot, but boy, I was mistaken because this book was delightful, and I breezed through it within a week.
Book Synopsis
Mohun Biswas has spent his 46 years of life striving for independence. Shuttled from one residence to another after the drowning of his father, he yearns for a place he can call home. He marries into the Tulsi family, on whom he becomes dependent but rebels and takes on a succession of occupations in a struggle to weaken their hold over him.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
My Review
I have a childhood friend – someone from a large, joint family (with multiple generations of people living together). When he grew up, he desperately wanted a job out of town – just to have a room and a bed of his own. The joy when he finally achieved his dream (a modest one BHK rental in a rundown city) was something I could never imagine.
If he were a reader, I would have suggested this book to him because, in so many ways, it replicates his life experience.
All Mr.Biswas wants is to be able to afford a house of his own and escape his interfering in-laws. But this proves to be a challenge. The entire book focuses on this desire for a home of his own – and in the process is a moving tribute to the trials of an ordinary lower-middle-class man struggling to better himself.
I think everyone will see something of themselves in Mohun Biswas’ struggles. He is not a sympathetic character – he is rude, churlish, and a whiner. He holds grudges, and he treats his wife appallingly. But still, he embodies all the dreams and hopes that are universal to all.
My description of this book might make you think this is a dull slog about an unlikeable man. But Naipaul’s genius is making it so funny. I enjoyed the sly humor, the crazy characters (Biswas’ MIL especially is hysterical), and the jibes he made at everyone in the novel. There was this strange emotion in me throughout my reading throughout my reading – a weird combination of pain, humor, and compassion.
Now that I have tried his writing, I want more. I have heard great things about A Bend in the River, so that’s on my TBR now. Any other books from him/like this that you recommend to me?
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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