A WAY IN THE WORLD

The death of Nobel Prize winner V.S. Naipaul this past year at age 85 has occasioned the release of a series of audiobook versions of his important works, several of them, including this one, memorably narrated by Simon Vance. Vance is the very expression of the voice we hear when we read Naipaul: measured, judicious, worldly-wise. This particular collection, although in print sometimes subtitled "A Sequence" or "A Novel," is neither fiction nor autobiography, history nor reportage; it falls into the looser category of "reflections" or "miscellany." The variety of topics and prose forms makes this a good starting point for listeners new to Naipaul's work, and Vance's balanced, expertly paced delivery conveys as well the passion and conviction that underlie Naipaul's marvelous prose. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2019]