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Customer Reviews of My Secret History

Tedious, disappointing
Theroux is good with words, and the first section, dealing with the semi-autobiographical narrator's youth, is a satisfying read. Then the protagonist grows up. He becomes a dull, selfish, philanderer, and the tone of the writing itself seems more plodding as well. Theroux's narrator is a womanizer, which is forgiveable, but unfortunately he's also a supercilious bore, which is not. The book carries no urgency, and there are better examples of the detached, clinical wife-cheater to be had. V.S. Naipul makes a promising psuedonymous cameo, but qucikly disappears back into the oatmeal-prose. Yawn. William Vollman covers the same ground with more skill, and dare I say it, heart.

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Tour De Force
Outstanding biographical work by Theroux, couched as fiction to allow for creative license. The book takes you through the world of Andre Parent, a writer who travels Africa and Europe, living the surface life of an upstanding individual, concealing the secret life of an energized sexually charged vagabond.

Chapter 1 (Altar Boy) is about Andre's coming of age, and outgrowing his parents expectations.

Chapter 2 (Whale Steaks) covers his oscilation between his love of a slightly older girlfriend, and his fascination with someone from his parent's generation.

Chapter 3 (African Girls) talks about his adventures in the peace corps, largely oriented around sleeping with the local girls.

Chapter 4 (Bush Baby) is the continuing story of his adventures, including some encounters with a V.S. Naipul lookalike. (Interesting as Naipul was a major influence on Theroux's career)

Chapter 5 (Leaving Siberia) has a double meaning. It is about Parent physically leaving Siberia on a travel writing trip, and an emotional exit from Siberia after learning of his wife's infidelity.

Chapter 6 (Two of Everything) is about the double life that Parent lives - one with his wife, and another with his mistress. It chronicles an identical trip through India with both women. This is an example of him becoming what he had previously abhored.

The book is well written on several levels. It vividly takes you into the peace corps, and through Africa. It also has a lot of subtly, as the character first repeats his own mistakes, and then repeats the mistakes he dislikes in others. The disappointment with his eventual success (be careful what you ask for as you might get it) on both the large and small levels are told with a straight face, adding to the believability of the character.

The book is 500 pages of a quick energizing read. Well worth the time invested.

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Two lives, one person
Ah, the sweet wanderlust of life. Despite having lived on three continents, I've never considered myself particularly prone to picking up my life and moving along at the drop of a hat. But Andre Parent, the narrator of Paul Theroux's novel My Secret History seems to relish doing exactly that, and reading along with him it's not hard at all to understand why. We meet Andre as a teenager, at home in a world he doesn't like very much, unsure of where he's going and who he is. He's conflicted between his desire to make out with girls and to join the priesthood, even though both make him uncomfortable. He's not a particularly nice person, nor is he a mean one. What he is, more than anything, is a secretive one (hence the title).

The story is told in six parts, each at a phase of his life. He recovers from his interest in the priesthood and gets over his hesitancy with girls as he grows older and works his way through the world. Once old enough, he's off for Africa in the fledgling Peace Corps organization where he's the industrious headmaster of a school during the week and a hard boozing Romeo on the weekends.

From the viewpoint of the plot, this doesn't sound like much. Okay, guy is born, grows up, and moves away. But as usual, it's the personality and personal focus of the narrator that make it come alive. We the reader are taken along with him into both of his lives wherever he happens to be, and it's a treat to be invited along.