Miguel Street by V.S. Naipul: Profound stories with humor and wit

This book is a must read for everyone who appreciated Mr. Biswas. Set in Miguel Street, Trinidad through the eyes of a teenage boy, every story in this collection deals with one personality, and again one can see Naipul’s characteristic humor and irony. There are colorful characters like Big Foot, Hat, and Popo. They are all poor, but ‘no one starves’. It’s like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, really. In the end, the boy leaves Miguel Street: it seems that he is the only who has succeeded among all its residents.

The variation of characters makes this collection of stories a good set of stories; but the unity of theme makes this collection of stories a very good 'novel'. Interestingly, though, there was no story centered on a female. This says something about the persona, and the section of society he personifies. Colonialism, poverty, and the frailty of human relationships are among the main themes of Miguel Street. As the persona matures, his opinion on things differ. This maturity is quick, though, for he is exposed to the things of the world early on. Miguel Street is no profound read, but it has humor- that is more than enough.