Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Vintage (2005), Paperback, 384 pages
Description
Sweeping in scope, both historically and geographically, Vassanji weaves a rich tapestry of vivid characters (real and imagined) in a Kenya poised between colonialism and independence.Vikram Lall, like his adopted country, inhabits an 'in-between world': between the pull of his ancestral home in India and the Kenya he loves passionately; between his tragic past in Africa and an unclear future in Canada; between escape from political terror and a seemingly inevitable return home . . . a return that may cost him dearly.A master storyteller, Vassanji intertwines the political and the personal - the rise of the Mau Mau in the last days of colonialism looms large over a plot centring on two love stories and a deep friendship. The result is a sumptuous novel that brilliantly explores the tyranny of history and memory, and questions the individual's role and responsibility in lawless times.… (more)
Media reviews
Edmonton Journal
In The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, [Vassanji] has written a powerful and compelling novel that explores many issues: public versus private lives; taking responsibility for one's decisions versus refusing to make decisions or take stands; and deciding who belongs in one's family and one's
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The Globe and Mail
It is part of Vassanji's great talent to demonstrate that the minor changes—unexpected love, sex, accusations—in the life of a very modest man are, in fact, transformations of history.
The In-Between Life of Vikram Lall belongs in that commendable category between merely good and truly great.
Saturday Night
Vassanji ... offers up certain truths, thought-provoking, disturbing, but ultimately, and in a small way, hopeful.
Ottawa Citizen
[Vassanji] captures both the minute ripples of individual human motivations and the broad sweep of the grim machine we call history.
User reviews
LibraryThing member theageofsilt
The narrator of the book, Mr. Lall, is emotionally stunted and I found him lacking in interest as a central character. The setting of the story, Kenya at the end of British control, is intriguing. The novel explores the "in-between" character of the Indian community there - not seen as truly
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African despite several generations born there, but certainly not belonging to the English establishment. Vikram Lall is also an unsettled figure. His only deep emotional attachments relate to his childhood - his family and boyhood friends. He has a chilly relationship with his wife, by an arranged marriage, and his children are scarcely mentioned. He becomes a corrupt bureaucrat within the newly independent Kenyan government, but his motivations are dim. He accepts enourmous bribes, but does not seem to be motivated by greed and certainly gives no thought to harm to the ordinary Kenyan who never benefits from the foreign aid stolen by the corrupt politicans. I've read many books written by Indians and they tend to include two threads - what everyone is eating and how parents manipulate their children into unhappy marriages. I would have enjoyed this book more without these cliches and with a narrator who had a little more passion. Show Less
LibraryThing member miranda_d
This was our January read on the Fiction Lovers website, and our theme was Canadian authors. I had read the Book of Secrets, which I loved, and so was anxious to pick this one up. The book itself takes place shortly after the separation of India from Pakistan, and covers the fight for Kenyan
From the Publisher:
From the PublisherDouble Giller Prize winner M.G. Vassanji’s The In-Between World of Vikram Lall is a haunting novel of corruption and regret that brings to life the complexity and turbulence of Kenyan society in the last five decades. Rich in sensuous detail and historical insight, this is a powerful story of passionate betrayals and political violence, racial tension and the strictures of tradition, told in elegant, assured prose.
The novel begins in 1953, with eight-year-old Vikram Lall a witness to the celebrations around the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, just as the Mau Mau guerilla war for independence from Britain begins to gain strength. In a land torn apart by idealism, doubt, political upheaval and terrible acts of violence, Vic and his sister Deepa must find their place among a new generation. Neither colonists nor African, neither white nor black, the Indian brother and sister find themselves somewhere in between in their band of playmates: Bill and Annie, British children, and Njoroge, an African boy. These are the relationships that will shape the rest of their lives.
We follow Vikram through the changes in East African society, the immense promise of the fifties and sixties. But when that hope is betrayed by the corruption and violence of the following decades, Vic is drawn into the Kenyatta government’s orbit of graft and power-broking. Njoroge, his childhood friend, can abandon neither the idealism of his youth nor his love for Vic’s sister Deepa. But neither the idealism of the one nor the passive cynicism of the other can avert the tragedies that await them.
Why I Liked/Didn't Like the Book:
I enjoyed reading this book, and thought the story was an important one to tell. It is interesting to read about the Indians who fled Punjab and ended up in Africa, as I hadn't realized the numbers who emigrated there. I think the stark contrast of the idealism of the times and the crushing disappointment as their dreams weren't realized is mirrored in their personal lives as they strive to overcome the racial boundaries set forth by their respective cultures only to be censored by the ones they loved. I would definitely recommend this book as an important historical novel.
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independance from British rule. The charactors once again were vividly drawn, although for some reason I wasn't as enthusiastic about the story as I was with his Book of Secrets. This was a time period I wasn't very familiar with, although when I talked to my Grandmother, she knew precisely what I was talking about, having had lived in England during that time, and so had heard stories about the atrocities. All in all, this was an interesting book to read.From the Publisher:
From the PublisherDouble Giller Prize winner M.G. Vassanji’s The In-Between World of Vikram Lall is a haunting novel of corruption and regret that brings to life the complexity and turbulence of Kenyan society in the last five decades. Rich in sensuous detail and historical insight, this is a powerful story of passionate betrayals and political violence, racial tension and the strictures of tradition, told in elegant, assured prose.
The novel begins in 1953, with eight-year-old Vikram Lall a witness to the celebrations around the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, just as the Mau Mau guerilla war for independence from Britain begins to gain strength. In a land torn apart by idealism, doubt, political upheaval and terrible acts of violence, Vic and his sister Deepa must find their place among a new generation. Neither colonists nor African, neither white nor black, the Indian brother and sister find themselves somewhere in between in their band of playmates: Bill and Annie, British children, and Njoroge, an African boy. These are the relationships that will shape the rest of their lives.
We follow Vikram through the changes in East African society, the immense promise of the fifties and sixties. But when that hope is betrayed by the corruption and violence of the following decades, Vic is drawn into the Kenyatta government’s orbit of graft and power-broking. Njoroge, his childhood friend, can abandon neither the idealism of his youth nor his love for Vic’s sister Deepa. But neither the idealism of the one nor the passive cynicism of the other can avert the tragedies that await them.
Why I Liked/Didn't Like the Book:
I enjoyed reading this book, and thought the story was an important one to tell. It is interesting to read about the Indians who fled Punjab and ended up in Africa, as I hadn't realized the numbers who emigrated there. I think the stark contrast of the idealism of the times and the crushing disappointment as their dreams weren't realized is mirrored in their personal lives as they strive to overcome the racial boundaries set forth by their respective cultures only to be censored by the ones they loved. I would definitely recommend this book as an important historical novel.
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LibraryThing member piefuchs
The life of an man with Indian parents, forced, due to his own actions, to leave his home in Africa for Canada. The story of how a seemingly mature and intelligent man slowly becomes a player in a corrupt and brutal dictatorship. As exceptionally well written, engaging story, that the author uses
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as a vehicle to provide unique observations on cultural differences, the immigrant experience, and human fraility. By the end you feel very sympathetic to the narrator, in spite of all he has done. Show Less
LibraryThing member Niecierpek
What a great storyteller!
It was one of those books you really want to go on and you are sorry when they finish.
It's about the world between honesty and crime and three cultures, a compromised life, compromised love.
It was one of those books you really want to go on and you are sorry when they finish.
It's about the world between honesty and crime and three cultures, a compromised life, compromised love.
LibraryThing member ilovecookies
Awesome book. I did not think the subject would be of interest to me but this is an amazing book and it is not hard to see why it is an award-winning book.
LibraryThing member djp2.0
This is one of my favourite books. Vassanji somehow fills the novel with a sense of foreboding, each chapter seeming to inch closer to some kind of ugly truth. As others have mentioned, the narrator does sometimes seem a little dull, removed - shellshocked is the word I might use - but this works
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to the novel's advantage. He is after all a person who has been caught in the middle throughout his life, falling into place without ever really understanding the horrors going on around him. From heartbreaking descriptions of his white, African, and Indian childhood friends - all taken in different directions by tragic events beyond their control or comprehension - to the novel's ambiguous and complex ending, I think this is one of the best books I've read, and after reading it again my opinion stays the same. Show Less
LibraryThing member harristwd
I picked this book up about 3 years ago in Montreal. I like to get books by authors from the area I'm visiting as it gives an insight into life there (and being married to a Canadian, there's the Canadian content, too). As many of the other reviews have said, Mr. Vassanji gives an interesting view
Great book!
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of the political happenings in Kenya during that time. It is an interesting commentary on what it is like to be the "inbetween culture", not the colonizer and not the native. Canada was an ideal choice for the narrator...close to the Empire, but not the empire.Great book!
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LibraryThing member Romonko
This book is another worthy winner of the prestigious Giller Prize. It won the award in 2003. It is written by an author that really knows how to tell a story. The story spans 4 decades of time and is located mostly in Kenya, but switches back regularly to present-day Canada near Lake Ontario.
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Vikram Lall is a character that you will never forget. Born to Indian parents in African Kenya, we see his life as it unfolds around all the political turmoil in this former British colony. But there is so much moe than politics in Kenya in this book. We actually see how a man can grow from a rather studious boy to one of the most powerful financial figures in the politically corrupt Kenya of the 70's and 80's. It is a remarkable story that captivated me from the first page. It is so well written and the characters so clearly defined that it was like actually stepping back into the settings and to the times. I loved this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
Vikram Lall narrates the story of his life. His Indian family migrated to Kenya to build a British railroad. As Asians, they are never fully welcomed into African society. Vikram's childhood is colored by the violent Mau Mau rebellion. When Kenya finally gains independence and Vikram grows up, he
The book is more or less structured like a memoir. On one hand, this makes the story feel very real - it is structured like a human life, not like a normal plot with conflict and resolution. On the other hand, this also makes the pacing uneven, and leaves some of the threads of the early portions of the book unresolved. The first half or so of the book primarily focuses on Vikram's childhood and his relationships with his family and friends. The latter part of the book details his political career, although his adult life is portrayed in much less detail than his childhood.
One of the major themes of the book is race: as an Asian, Vikram is never entirely welcomed into Kenyan society. His Asian family is unwilling to accept his sister's romance with their African childhood friend. Vikram can be corrupt largely because he straddles the Asian community and African political structure, and can claim ignorance of the functioning of both.
Another theme is the banality of evil, although this is skimmed over more than I wish it had been. Throughout the book, Vikram drops hints that he is considered to be a horrible person because of his role in some corruption, but when we finally reach that part of his story, the details are skimmed over and the corruption really doesn't seem like that big of a deal - certainly not bad enough for there to be a price on his head. I was expecting involvement in genocide or something, but it turned out to be rather anticlimactic.
All in all, it is an interesting and engaging book, with characters who felt very real. It felt like the author ran out of steam towards the end and didn't devote as much attention to the events at the end. There are important themes of race relations and the importance of family and friends.
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works for the government and guilelessly becomes involved in the corruption of the government, thanks largely to his outsider status as an Asian with connections to the Asian community in Africa.The book is more or less structured like a memoir. On one hand, this makes the story feel very real - it is structured like a human life, not like a normal plot with conflict and resolution. On the other hand, this also makes the pacing uneven, and leaves some of the threads of the early portions of the book unresolved. The first half or so of the book primarily focuses on Vikram's childhood and his relationships with his family and friends. The latter part of the book details his political career, although his adult life is portrayed in much less detail than his childhood.
One of the major themes of the book is race: as an Asian, Vikram is never entirely welcomed into Kenyan society. His Asian family is unwilling to accept his sister's romance with their African childhood friend. Vikram can be corrupt largely because he straddles the Asian community and African political structure, and can claim ignorance of the functioning of both.
Another theme is the banality of evil, although this is skimmed over more than I wish it had been. Throughout the book, Vikram drops hints that he is considered to be a horrible person because of his role in some corruption, but when we finally reach that part of his story, the details are skimmed over and the corruption really doesn't seem like that big of a deal - certainly not bad enough for there to be a price on his head. I was expecting involvement in genocide or something, but it turned out to be rather anticlimactic.
All in all, it is an interesting and engaging book, with characters who felt very real. It felt like the author ran out of steam towards the end and didn't devote as much attention to the events at the end. There are important themes of race relations and the importance of family and friends.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by M. G. Vassanji is the story of an Asian man who sees himself as an in-between, being neither white nor black, in colonial and post-colonial Kenya. Although he doesn’t feel it, he is a 3rd generation African. His grandfather came to Africa from India to work
Again he finds himself in the middle of his two friends, Bill the white son of a British landowner and Njoroge, the black grandson of the Kikuyu gardener. These boys, along with Vikram’s sister, Deepa and Bill’s sister, Ann play together and become close friends, although the political situation is destined to tear them apart. Vikram’s story covers the changing Kenya as it emerges from Colonial rule, to the early hopeful days of independence to the dark dangers and corruption that evolved in later decades.
Vikram who identifies himself as “one of Africa’s most corrupt men”, becomes adept at survival, both political and personal, again as a middle man, he becomes a fixer, taking bribes and moving the money for the new black, corrupt ruling class. Eventually he is used as a scrapegoat in an international scandal and forced to leave Kenya.
The In-Between World of Vikram Lall was a fascinating multi-layered story. Although a powerful tale, I felt the story bogged down at times in the massive amount of detail provided. These details, although accurate and well researched cause the book to be overlong and slow. But ultimately this is a well written, deeply personal story from an author who grew up in Kenya and is well able to immerse the reader into the complexities of African history.
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the railroad and stayed, putting down roots in the large Asian community. As the book opens, Vikram is living in exile in Canada and as his story unfolds we are taken back to Kenya and the Mau Mau insurgency of 1952 – 1960. Again he finds himself in the middle of his two friends, Bill the white son of a British landowner and Njoroge, the black grandson of the Kikuyu gardener. These boys, along with Vikram’s sister, Deepa and Bill’s sister, Ann play together and become close friends, although the political situation is destined to tear them apart. Vikram’s story covers the changing Kenya as it emerges from Colonial rule, to the early hopeful days of independence to the dark dangers and corruption that evolved in later decades.
Vikram who identifies himself as “one of Africa’s most corrupt men”, becomes adept at survival, both political and personal, again as a middle man, he becomes a fixer, taking bribes and moving the money for the new black, corrupt ruling class. Eventually he is used as a scrapegoat in an international scandal and forced to leave Kenya.
The In-Between World of Vikram Lall was a fascinating multi-layered story. Although a powerful tale, I felt the story bogged down at times in the massive amount of detail provided. These details, although accurate and well researched cause the book to be overlong and slow. But ultimately this is a well written, deeply personal story from an author who grew up in Kenya and is well able to immerse the reader into the complexities of African history.
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LibraryThing member kaitanya64
One of the best novels on Kenyan independence and written from an Indian perspective.
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf for almost 10 years so I decided now was the time to read it. I wasn't sure what I was expecting although I knew it had won the Giller Prize in 2003. That doesn't necessarily mean I will enjoy it (there have been a few duds such as the winner in 2019) but
Vikram Lall was a third generation Indo-Kenyan. His grandfather had come from India to build the railroad. Then his father was born in Kenya and found a wife back in India before the country was transformed by independence from Britain. Vikram and his sister Deepa were raised in a small town where their parents were shopkeepers. Kenya was, at that time, experiencing its own fight for freedom from Britain. Most notably the Mau Mau carried out surprise attacks on white farmers trying to drive them from the land. Vikram, Deepa and their black friend Njoroge played with a white brother and sister when their mother brought them to town so she could shop. About a year after they met William and Annie Bruce, the Bruces were slaughtered by the Mau Mau. Some time later the police came to his father and told him that his gun, which had gone missing, had been used to commit the murders. The police arrested the gardener, Njoroge's grandfather, for the theft of the gun and conspiring with the rebels. Vikram believed that, in fact, his uncle had taken the gun and passed it on to the rebels. As a result of this turn of events the Lalls moved to Nairobi and Njoroge disappeared from their life. Then when Vikram, Deepa and Njoroge have reached adulthood they manage to reconnect. Deepa and Njoroge turn their childhood feelings into love for each other but Kenya and the Lalls are not ready for a bi-racial marriage. Njoroge is a force in the new black political establishment and he helps Vikram get a job with the government. Vikram will never be fully accepted by the black powers-that-be but he performs a useful service funnelling foreign money into the hands of some ministers so he has some clout. This becomes useful when most Asians are expelled from Kenya but the Lalls remain.
We follow the history of Kenya (and Africa as a whole) through the lives of the Lalls, especially Vikram, and it is fascinating. Plus the writing is wonderful. Vassanji captures the surroundings for his characters with words the way a photographer does with a camera. Hard to believe that this is a man who studied to be a nuclear physicist.
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the chances are pretty good that I will. This book is certainly not in the dud category.Vikram Lall was a third generation Indo-Kenyan. His grandfather had come from India to build the railroad. Then his father was born in Kenya and found a wife back in India before the country was transformed by independence from Britain. Vikram and his sister Deepa were raised in a small town where their parents were shopkeepers. Kenya was, at that time, experiencing its own fight for freedom from Britain. Most notably the Mau Mau carried out surprise attacks on white farmers trying to drive them from the land. Vikram, Deepa and their black friend Njoroge played with a white brother and sister when their mother brought them to town so she could shop. About a year after they met William and Annie Bruce, the Bruces were slaughtered by the Mau Mau. Some time later the police came to his father and told him that his gun, which had gone missing, had been used to commit the murders. The police arrested the gardener, Njoroge's grandfather, for the theft of the gun and conspiring with the rebels. Vikram believed that, in fact, his uncle had taken the gun and passed it on to the rebels. As a result of this turn of events the Lalls moved to Nairobi and Njoroge disappeared from their life. Then when Vikram, Deepa and Njoroge have reached adulthood they manage to reconnect. Deepa and Njoroge turn their childhood feelings into love for each other but Kenya and the Lalls are not ready for a bi-racial marriage. Njoroge is a force in the new black political establishment and he helps Vikram get a job with the government. Vikram will never be fully accepted by the black powers-that-be but he performs a useful service funnelling foreign money into the hands of some ministers so he has some clout. This becomes useful when most Asians are expelled from Kenya but the Lalls remain.
We follow the history of Kenya (and Africa as a whole) through the lives of the Lalls, especially Vikram, and it is fascinating. Plus the writing is wonderful. Vassanji captures the surroundings for his characters with words the way a photographer does with a camera. Hard to believe that this is a man who studied to be a nuclear physicist.
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Subjects
Awards
Scotiabank Giller Prize (Longlist — 2003)
Language
Original publication date
2002
Physical description
384 p.; 7.96 inches
ISBN
1400076560 / 9781400076567