Customer Reviews
Unsettling and Virtuosic Take on Displacement - By: A. O. AKEMU, 05 Jan 2009 
The overarching themein V. S. Naipaul¡¦s novels is displacement - usually as a result of migration. By telling three stories, Naipaul weaves an exquisite tale on the subject of "fitting in"in a non-native culture. The three stories are respectively:
- An Indian servant who moves from Bombay to Washington D.C. with his diplomat master
- British expatriate workers who have moved to Africain search of personal redemption (or so we are made to believe)
- A West Indian student & his brother, who move to London
The Indian servant, who seemed to be content with his lotin life (being a servant to a 'superior') moves to Washington D.C. Whilein D.C., his acquaintance with 'hubshi' (African Americans) challenges his concept of self & his placein the world. The scales eventually fall from the servant¡¦s eyes & he eventually leaves his master to marry a hubshi. Yes, our servant becomes a US citizen, achieving his American dream but still feels a sense of loss & emptiness.
The novel moves to a small, newly-independent African country sometimein the 1960's. Two British expats, Bobby & Linda, are taking a drive to the 'white' compound on the other side of the country. As they drive & chatter, they unveil their motivations for coming to Africa & their perceptions of their placein it. Our expats are anything but enlightened. Indeed, they are mass of contradictions: for example, they betray their hopes of redemption whilein Africa & yet display crass racial prejudice against the Africans.
The exchanges between Bobby & Linda are simply exquisite. I was immediately transported to the backseat of their car on that dirt roadin Africa. The Africa of their dreams is shattering around them. The newly independent state is falling apart. Political rivalry between the newly elected President & the local king reaches a head when the king is assassinated by the President's men. Though the novel does not explicitly state it, hell - ethnic cleansing & internecine violence - will soon be let loose on this small country.
In a Free State is a deeply unsettling yet poignant reminder of the challenges of migration & fitting in. Once it grips you the novel does not let go. Instead, it gnaws deeper & deeper & leaves a funny but strangely satisfying tastein the mouth. After reading Naipaul¡¦s Half a Life I thought that I had seen it all. Naipaul is an undisputed master of the English language; his control of the language is Mephistophelian. I felt like an fly caughtin Naipaul¡¦s web; too stupid to avoid the webin the first place yet enchanted by the artistry of its design. In a Free State deserves 4 stars.
Tedious - By: BookWorm, 27 Dec 2008 
I'm always suspicious of any book which needs to declare itself 'a novel' on the front cover, since it normally indicates that the description is up for debate. In this case, the suspicions were well founded. 'In A Free State' is less a novel than a collection of five unrelated short stories of erratic length & style.
Still, the first two were promising - the first beingin the style of a journal entry, the second a narrative by an Indian manservant newly arrivedin New York. They were beautifully written and, particularly the latter, full of insights.
Things went downhill with the latter three stories. The story about the West Indian manin London was writtenin an intensely irritating style & was so utterly confusing I almost lost the will to read altogether. But at least it wasn't very long.
The fourth story is the longest, divided into chapters, centered on two British expats making a car journeyin an unnamed African country riven with civil war. It is writtenin mind-blowingly minute detail, which is tedious to read. The characters are dull & I couldn't summon any interestin them. I found myself skipping through the last few chaptersin desperation to finish. By the time I reached the final 'story' I had lost the will, & skimmed through it.
Maybe fans of very minutely detailed writing might enjoy this novel but I just found it excruciatingly dull.
My desert island book - By: Jack, 20 Apr 2007 
Some books you read, & the images they create stay with you for a very long time. I first read this book years ago & it certainly had that effect on me, & I can vividly recollect the three very different worlds the book describesin its short stories that come together to create an overwhelming & bleak view of what it is to be an immigrant, whether that's as a white manin Africa, or an Asianin the West. The subtlety & power of the writing blows into the weeds the stack of recent 'immigrant' novels exploring similar themes (Brick Lane, Inheritance of Loss, et al) & quite simply, for me, this is my favourite novel. Can't say more than that!
Engaging but bleak - By: Colin C, 09 Jul 2005 This won the Bookerin the early 1970s, but I would say that its status as a novel is questionable. 'In a Free State' consists of a central narrative about two people on a desperate road trip through an African countryin the throes of revolution, framed by short story fragments on the same theme - displacement - at the beginning & the end.
The overall effect on the reader of this collection of stories concerning people struggling to feel at homein foreign lands is powerful, & the prose is elegant & carefully pared down, but still descriptive enough to be evocative of the settings(America, London, Africa, Egypt).
Recommended, butin no way uplifting.
In A Free State? - By: Mr. D. N. Reece, 04 Sep 2003 In a Free State is one of the great cultural fiction books of the last century, combining fictious charactersin real life cultures. The supporting narratives along with the main novel make an excellent thought-provoking read about the differencesin culture across the globe, the changes that may seem so subtle for an outsider escalated to great fears by the characters livingin those situations.
The first narrative is a brief account of an Indian servant, Santosh, who travels from Bombay to Washington, with his employer. The tale writtenin first person portrays the struggles that Santosh faces, as he has left his homeland & is placedin a alien culture, he can not understand. The second narrative, Tell Me who to Kill, describes the search of another man pulled between two cultures, as he travels to London to help his brother.
The main novel, is the essence of cultural conflict, setin the war torn continent of Africa, & joins two English characters, working for the government, as they travel along the roads of the state towards the compound. The country has splitin two, & tribal conflict has taken over. While the two english characters, Bobby & Linda remain somewhat neutral,in an effort to bring peace, their opposing views make interested conversations on their journey, coupled with numerous incidents along the way, the situation of the country begins to unfold.
An insightful, though sometimes brutal look at the changesin culture & effects of boundaries on continents, countries, tribes, & individual characters. A thoroughly readable book, by the excellent V.S. Naipul whose effortless writing conjures such a real atmosphere.
