Super Short Summary

A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul is narrated by Salim, a man of Muslim Indian descent, who moves to an unnamed postcolonial African town to run a shop. Amidst rising violence and political upheaval, he navigates relationships with locals and expatriates, faces personal and moral dilemmas, and ultimately plans to escape the destabilizing environment to seek a new life. The book includes descriptive violence and a scene depicting intimate partner abuse.