Immersing oneself in a book of letters between a writer and members of his/her family is an exercise pursued only by the serious fan. So those already dedicated to the writings of the highly-regarded, Trinidad-born, English-resident writer V.S Naipaul may find touchstones of interest in this book; for others, though, these letters present a mixed offering. On the one hand, it is pleasing to read of the continual encouragement Vido's father, Seepersad Naipaul - a writer himself - gave freely to his son. On the other, it is rather tedious to read of Vido's disgruntlement with writing and his often pejorative assessments of life at Oxford University, during which time most of this correspondence took place. His own assessment of his emergence as a writer is one redeeming facet to this otherwise dull book.
