Double 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 ...
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Double 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. In interviews given when the novel was published, Vassanji commented that The In-Between World of Vikram Lallis the first of his books to deal with his memories of Kenya, where he spent the first 5 years of his life: "I remember these images of fear, of terror. And I thought I had to come back to that and see the whole Mau Mau episode from the Asian point of view. I had never written a book set in Kenya, where my father was from. And when I did, I just felt good about it, because I was going back to one part, one of many homes." The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, a compelling record in the voice of a character described as "a cheat of monstrous and reptilian cunning," took three years to write. After research in Kenya and Britain, M.G. Vassanji devoted himself to the novel in a dark office at the University of Toronto. It was a hard process of creation and discovery, especially as Vassanji is an assiduous editor of his own work: "I come back to it over and over. For me, it's like working on a sculpture. You sort of chip away a bit at a time until you tell yourself it's as perfect as you can make it." Vassanji's fifth novel met with immense Canadian and international success. As well as making him the first author to win the Giller Prize twice, the book was a #1 national bestseller. " "The In-Between World of Vikram Lall" "is a profound and careful examination of one man's search for his place in the world; it also takes up themes that have run through Vassanji's work, such as the nature of community in a volatile society, the relations between colony and colonizer, and the inescapable presence of the past. It is also, finally, a deeply personal book: "The major thing that stands out in the book is people who are in-between. The feeling of belonging and not belonging is verycentral to the book. And that also played out in my life. When we lived in Tanzania we belonged and did not belong because we had come from Kenya. That has been a major thread in my life."
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Add this copy of The in-Between World of Vikram Lall to cart. $2.18, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Doubleday Canada.
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Good. Size: 6x1x9; Has moderate shelf wear, highlighting, underlining and/or writing. Great used condition. A portion of your purchase of this book will be donated to non-profit organizations. Over 1, 000, 000 satisfied customers since 1997! Choose expedited shipping (if available) for much faster delivery. Delivery confirmation on all US orders.
Add this copy of The in-Between World of Vikram Lall to cart. $7.49, like new condition, Sold by The Book Scouts rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hamilton, ON, CANADA, published 2003 by Doubleday Canada.
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Fine in Near Fine jacket. Size: 6x1x9; We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! Canadian first edition, first printing. Contains numberline 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Virtually no wear to jacket. Jacket is NOT price clipped. Covers are clean and bright. Edges are sharp. No tears or creases. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. The binding is straight and tight. NO remainder mark.
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Good in Very Good dust jacket. 0385659903. Moisture staining/warping to top edge of text block. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery.; Import; 9.30 X 6.50 X 1.40 inches; 405 pages.
Add this copy of The in-Between World of Vikram Lall to cart. $11.99, very good condition, Sold by A Good Read rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toronto, ON, CANADA, published 2003 by Doubleday Canada.
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Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 0385659903. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery. Ligh bruising to top edges of d/j.; Import; 9.30 X 6.50 X 1.40 inches; 405 pages.
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Fine in Fine dust jacket. 0385659903. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery.; 1.4 x 9.3 x 6.5 Inches; 416 pages.
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