V.S. can be a bit of a pain (pedantic) in his writing style. Nevertheless, he is highly observant and this was a great read.

I haven’t read much of V S Naipaul, but if I do so in the future this is definitely a book I will want to have by my side. It’s an academic work, primarily for Naipaul scholars and serious readers, but written in an accessible and readable way so that even the uninitiated will be able to gain much from it. It’s an insightful and intelligent exploration and analysis, looking at all Naipaul’s books and delving into them in great detail. The author divides the writing into three phases, from the early work set mainly in Trinidad, to the second phase when Naipaul set off on his extensive travels and chronicled his thoughts and impressions, and the final phase when his books tend more to blend autobiography and fiction. It’s by no means a light read and probably not one to plough all the way through in one go (unless you are an avid Naipaul fan) but is an important reference work and a worthy addition to Naipaul scholarship.