Miguel Street (Vintage International)

By: V. S. Naipaul

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Synopsis: 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.