The Suffrage of Elvira by V.S. Naipaul

Contrary to my expectations, this novel was actually humorous, although it does point out a serious problem. This last novel I read by this author, 'A House for Mr. Biswas,' was very depressing to me. Sometimes a book can be so well-done about a tragic situation that it can be agonizing to read, and that was the case with 'Mr. Biswas' for me. This one also highlights serious issues, but the treatment is lighter.

The new democracy of Trinidad is having only its second elections (1950), and Surujpat Harbans, a Hindu, is running for office. To win he must secure the votes of the Hindus, the Moslims, and the Spanish. He has little chance of getting the Negro vote, because his opponent is a Negro. So he courts influential men who have influence in the various factions, offering them jobs and favors to help him. Superstitious elements also come into play: two Jehovah's Witnesses ladies and a black dog thought to be an evil spirit. So what does he do? He buys the vote, essentially, with little favors to various segments.

Forgive me for translating this story, in my mind, to today's America. We have the Republicans, the Democrats, the Hispanic vote, the Negro vote. In Trinidad, in 1950, the differing religious elements were mostly cultural differences. In America, in 2011, the two political parties seem to be more and more aligned along religious interpretations. And if you don't think superstition comes into play, think again of the reliance some put on the Book of Revelations. And what do most people do? Follow some influential leader of their segment who tells them what to think.

Back to the novel. Naipaul's dialogue is excellent; the wheeling and dealing of various factions to gain the most benefits are funny; the conclusion is even funnier, in a dark-humor kind of way. It's a very interesting book to read.

Naipaul seems to be making a comments about the pitfalls of democracy, but perhaps I am reading that in, though I think not. I recommend reading this book and thinking about elections in the USA at the same time.

This novel has an outstanding first sentence: "That afternoon Mr Surujpat Harbans nearly killed the two white women and the black bitch."