"Naipaul's finest work." –
Chicago Tribune "An elegant memoir, a subtly incisive self-reckoning." –
The Washington Post Book World "Far and away the most curious novel I've read in a long time, and maybe the most hypnotic book I've ever read." –
St. Petersburg Times "The conclusion is both heart-breaking and bracing: the only antidote to destruction–of dreams, of reality–is remembering. As eloquently as anyone now writing, Naipaul remembers." –
Time "V.S. Naipaul is a man who can inspire readers to follow him through the Slough of Despond and beyond.... Like a computer game [this book] leads the reader on by a series of clues, nearer and nearer to an understanding of the man and the writer. Few memoirs can claim as much." –
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