Miguel Street
Ratings7
Average rating4.1
A tender, funny novel written with the verve of Dickens and the passion of Chekhov, set during World War II in a derelict neighborhood in Trinidad’s capital and narrated by an unnamed boy—from the Nobel Prize-winning author. “One of the few contemporary writers of whom we can speak in terms of greatness.” —Newsday “A stranger could drive through Miguel Street and just say ‘Slum!’ because he could see no more.” But to its residents this corner of Trinidad’s capital is a complete world, where everybody is quite different from everybody else. There’s Popo the carpenter, who neglects his livelihood to build “the thing without a name.” There’s Man-man, who goes from running for public office to staging his own crucifixion, and the dreaded Big Foot, the bully with glass tear ducts. There’s the lovely Mrs. Hereira, in thrall to her monstrous husband. This tender, funny early novel is a work of mercurial mood shifts, by turns sweetly melancholy and anarchically funny. It overflows with life on every page.
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It's been a while since I read any Naipaul and this was far more enjoyable than I remember him being. Published in 1959, the book is linked stories set in Trinidad in which the narrator profiles the wild characters that populate his neighborhood.
This was a really enjoyable read.
It is not really a novel, more a series of interconnected vignettes, each a small character study of a person or event in the neighbourhood of Miguel Street - in a poor area of Port of Spain in Trinidad. The book is written in some nice subtle use of vernacular - almost patois, not at all challenging or distracting, but for me it really added to the great descriptive writing.
“I know something wrong. Something happen to he.”“You sure this baby for you, and not nobody else? It have some woman making a living this way, you know.”“You better mind you mouth. Otherwise I come up and turn your face with one slap, you hear.”“She look like a drinker sheself.”
Each chapter brings a new depth to the neighbourhood, building on previous characters and events, but written in such a way that the chapter stands alone too. Very clever.
I understand from other reviews that although this was Naipaul third novel published, it was written first. If that is the case it is a great example of a excellent first work. Perhaps even more special given its slightly experimental writing technique.
I have read one other Naipaul fiction (Guerillas), and one of his nonfiction, but for me this is better than either.
Somewhere between four and five stars - probably settling at 4.
Recommended reading.
