A review by constantlymaya
The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by M.G. Vassanji

3.0

This novel is gorgeous and lush, with very atmospheric and emotive prose. The story follows the life of Vikram Lall, a third-generation member of the Indian community in Kenya. During his life he witnesses massive changes in the country, as it transitions from British colonial rule to independence through the equal parts courageous and horrifically violent Mau Mau uprising. As an Indian Kenyan, he exists in the interstices of privilege and experiences a complex identity: his community endures racism from the colonial rulers of Kenya, but hold status over black Kenyans, a position which earns them vitriol and animosity after independence. Vikram is born in Africa, but can never feel really African. The book offers no simple answers, nor does it shy away from the fraught and convoluted joinings of race, culture, gender and class and the myriad ways in which they interact and influence each other. It beautifully and poignantly explores the shiftings and growing pains of interpersonal relationships over the decades, and contains one of the most moving and satisfying portrayals of a brother-sister dynamic that I’ve ever read. However, the storyline is uneven and weighted in the nostalgia of Vikram’s memories of his childhood, the fullness of which make the portions about his adult life seem too thin and inadequate in comparison, and consequently unable to hold the thread of this long narrative. The ending also seemed a little rushed and lazy, especially for such a long novel. However, this is an informative, moving and thoughtfully written book which is commendable for its willingness to exist in the unknowing of the in-betweens.