Customer Reviews

The Nightwatchman's Occurrence Book: And Other Comic Inventions

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This volume is actually three books in one: The Suffrage of Elvira (1961), Mr. Stone and the Knights Companion (1963), and A Flag on the Island (1967), the first two are novels and the last a collection of short stories culminating in the title novella.

The Suffrage of Elvira was the second novel published by Mr. Naipaul, and although it is a pleasant diversion, it lacks the impact of his later work. Describing the seemingly hapless attempts of its protagonist to get elected in a small district in Trinidad, corruption is expected by all the major players and accepted by all with humorous resignation. I enjoyed the book, but cannot strongly recommend it on its own. Because I have recently discovered Naipaul, I am attempting to work my way through some of his works in a chronological fashion, and this is an early step.

Mr. Stone and the Knights Companion was Naipaul's first novel set entirely in England, and it is a quietly understated portrayal of a middle aged man's re-affirmation of life. Believing he is about to enter the winter of his life, alone and without any real accomplishment to speak of, he suddenly finds himself married and with a new occupation. He approaches these changes in his personal life and career with a newfound vigor, only to become dissatisfied with both. As he relapses into apathy once again, he finally recognizes that his fatalism is unfounded, and that another spring lies in wait. This was my favorite from this volume: the characters were well delineated and sympathetic, and as always Naipaul's prose shines.

A Flag on the Island is a collection of stories including an expanded scene with a different perspective from his novel A House for Mr. Biswas; a story appropriate for, but for some reason left out of, Miguel Street; two stories about the residents and owners of a boarding house; and ends with the title piece--a long unusual story about a man returning to a Caribbean island where he once lived. Naipaul's previous collection of stories, Miguel Street, was a wonderful description of life on Trinidad, and some of the stories here have the same whimsical air, but for the most part I prefer his novels to his stories. It's very hard for me to appreciate writing without an emotional connection, and this is something most of these stories are missing, particularly the title piece, which is long enough for character development but seems devoid of any real feeling.

Mr. Stone and the Knights Companion gets 4 stars but the others only get three IMHO.