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4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fictional Story of Colonialism, Jan 26 2000
There is no such country as Cuyama. It exists only in the author, Shiva Naipaul's, imagination, placed somewhere on the coast of South America. It seems real though, with a history that is the story of colonialism itself.Written in 1983, shortly before the author's untimely death two years later at the age of 40, it is a small gem of a book, somber in mood, that makes the reader aware of this small, forgotten, part of the world. Aubrey St. Pierre, plagued with guilt over his slave-owning ancestors, sits in his musty bookshop and writes protest letters to the Times in London and New York. His wife, Dina, the daughter of a converted Hindustani and a Portuguese woman never quite fits in. She has an English last name and a university education but feels alienated and aloof. The climate is always hot, fires burn, vegetation rots, and buildings are crumbling. The government is corrupt, there is unrest, poverty and disillusionment. The author was born in Trinidad and educated in England and the writing is that of an educated Englishman. The book is short and he uses his words with economy and precision. The country seethes with malaise. The story reflects this well. The characters are complex and deep. And their world is joyless. The tone never varies and the reader is gripped with the feeling of hopelessness and sadness. I was completely drawn into the book though, reading it slowly, one paragraph at a time in the subway,on a bus, before I fell asleep at night. It haunted me, touched me. Any violence in the book is referred to obliquely in the past. There is instead, a feeling of hopelessness. It is a worthwhile read, although not for everyone. I do recommend it however.
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