I feel as though I’ve written a lot of reviews of novels
that discuss the legacy of colonialism on this blog, and quite a few reviews of
novels about India. Paul Scott’s Staying On combines the two, taking as
its subject the elderly Smalleys, Tusker and Lucy, and describing their lives
as the last British settlers who have ‘stayed on’ in Pankot, a fictional small
town in India, post-independence.
Staying On is full
of dark humour, laughing at the ridiculousness of the Smalleys while also
painting a poignant picture of a couple growing old, each fearing being left
alone. The story is mostly seen from
Lucy’s point of view as she looks back on episodes in her life with Tusker, but
we also briefly see the feelings of Tusker himself and of Mr Bhoolaboy, husband
of the hotel’s domineering owner Lila Bhoolaboy. Paul Scott wrote four books prior to Staying On which are collectively known
as ‘The Raj Quartet’;
these feature the Smalleys very briefly but focus mainly on other characters
from the Pankot universe, many years prior to the events of Staying On. While reading these is not necessary to
understand this novel (I haven’t read them), the references to other characters
pique the reader’s interest and certainly made me want to read the other books.
The poignancy of Lucy and Tusker’s relationship, their long
life together without really truly knowing one another, coupled with flashbacks
to Lucy’s sad childhood, make this an outstanding study of regret. The reader feels for Lucy as she faces the
imminent probability that Tusker will not be around for much longer, and
evaluate with her the down-at-heel existence of these last remnants of the
British Empire in India. Their
old-fashioned prejudicial attitudes towards the Indian people remain, yet Scott
writes with such emotional prowess that we feel empathy towards the couple,
ridiculous and prejudiced though they are.
Staying On describes an India in transition, with its citizens
throwing off the shackles of British colonial rule and moving towards a
prosperous future, represented by the rival Shiraz hotel in Pankot. Tusker
and Lucy are the last tie to a bygone age – which Scott does not exactly idealise,
but which he still seems to look back on wistfully nonetheless. The emotional story of these two characters
makes Staying On worth the read, and
made me very aware of how transient all our relationships really are.
