Literary Fiction · DarkSalim, an Indian merchant, opens a shop in a remote riverside town in a newly independent African country
A Bend in the River
A shopkeeper in a riverside town watches a new nation's government take hold
Salim, a Muslim Indian merchant, narrates. He opens a shop in a remote riverside town at a bend in a river, ostensibly the Congo, in a newly decolonized African country, and watches the community take shape around him. Raymond, a white intellectual who becomes the president's speechwriter, and his wife Yvette are among those he meets. As the nation's new government, led by a demagogic president called the Big Man, consolidates power, the town's social order begins to fracture. It was first published in 1979.
More about this book
Who
Salim, Raymond, Yvette, the Big Man, Citizen Theotime and a Belgian priest.
World
A small town at a bend in a river, ostensibly the Congo, in a newly decolonized African country.
What makes it different
It is often compared to Conrad's Heart of Darkness, following both an inward and a physical journey into the heart of Africa.
Feel
Wary and unsettled.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- A Bend in the RiverBritannica