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Like Heaven
From an exciting new voice in fiction, writing that surges with life, humour and a sense of hope.
This is the story of Ved Sant, an Indian from Port of Spain, Trinidad — a ramshackle carnival culture, which is suddenly becoming oil and gas rich. Sant has a gift for business, and is an enlightened boss. But, inevitably, the pressures of family and success have an impact on his personal life, and lead to tragedy.
From the Hardcover edition.
This is the story of Ved Sant, an Indian from Port of Spain, Trinidad — a ramshackle carnival culture, which is suddenly becoming oil and gas rich. Sant has a gift for business, and is an enlightened boss. But, inevitably, the pressures of family and success have an impact on his personal life, and lead to tragedy.
From the Hardcover edition.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Niala Maharaj
4 books3 followersNiala Maharaj was born in Trinidad to descendants of Indian migrants. At 16, she became a journalist with Trinidad’s national newspaper and rose to editor of the Sunday edition. In between she acquired three university degrees. She then went on to co-produce and co-present Trinidad’s most successful TV series, working simultaneously as Public Relations Officer at the University of the West Indies.
In the late 1980s, she began writing fiction after leaving Trinidad for a peripatetic existence in far-flung parts of the globe. She worked in Rome as editor of an international women’s magazine and later in Hong Kong. In 1990, she settled in Amsterdam, where she contributes articles to publications around the globe.
The Game of the Rose: The Third World in the Global Flower Trade (non-fiction) was her first published book. The novel, Like Heaven, was born when she spent a semester as a Visiting Fellow of Amherst College, Massachusetts. She has also written a collection of short stories, The Queen of Coconut Chutney, and is currently working on a novel, Dance of the Lotus.
The biggest accomplishment of Niala’s life is a circle of amazingly loyal friends around the world: of every nationality, men and women, gay and straight, dead and alive. In her leisure time she reads, gardens, plays squash, and gets beaten by 12-year old kids in stupid internet games. She is the besotted friend of a bunch of children in the Dutch village of Krommenie. She loathes aerobics, is unarithmetic, clumsy and forgetful. After 16 years in Holland, she still cannot ride a bicycle properly, speaks 'defect-Dutch' and is hopeless with the most basic of technological tools.
In the late 1980s, she began writing fiction after leaving Trinidad for a peripatetic existence in far-flung parts of the globe. She worked in Rome as editor of an international women’s magazine and later in Hong Kong. In 1990, she settled in Amsterdam, where she contributes articles to publications around the globe.
The Game of the Rose: The Third World in the Global Flower Trade (non-fiction) was her first published book. The novel, Like Heaven, was born when she spent a semester as a Visiting Fellow of Amherst College, Massachusetts. She has also written a collection of short stories, The Queen of Coconut Chutney, and is currently working on a novel, Dance of the Lotus.
The biggest accomplishment of Niala’s life is a circle of amazingly loyal friends around the world: of every nationality, men and women, gay and straight, dead and alive. In her leisure time she reads, gardens, plays squash, and gets beaten by 12-year old kids in stupid internet games. She is the besotted friend of a bunch of children in the Dutch village of Krommenie. She loathes aerobics, is unarithmetic, clumsy and forgetful. After 16 years in Holland, she still cannot ride a bicycle properly, speaks 'defect-Dutch' and is hopeless with the most basic of technological tools.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 7, 2012
"Like Heaven" is the story of Ved Saran, accidental if unlikely millionaire, being as he is more concerned with his employees' welfare than chasing profit. Forced by circumstances into taking over his family business, Ved cruises along, allowing fame and fortune to happen to him, without much effort. Not unlike other young men in Trinidad, his life is filled with casual sexual encounters, sports and the wonders of carnival. Much of Saran's - the business he develops - success is indeed the product of committed employees and plain fortuity. Mostly untouched by his vast success, Ved is a generous, warm, sexy and overall endearing protagonist. However, as other family members get involved in the business, Ved realises that his business model is being eroded. As greed and politics enter his world, the book takes an unexpectedly tragic turn, forcing Ved to grow up and take some difficult, and for the reader, deeply disappointing decisions.
Maharaj's freshman effort is impressive. Her writing is infused with great humour, while at the same time, she deftly exposes the underbelly of the political-corporate nexus in modern day Trinidad. Her ear for language is particularly memorable, creating characters who are both compelling and quirky, ridiculous and real. Maharaj is obviously very influenced by early Naipaul - Miguel Street,Mystic Masseur and House of Mr. Biswas in particular - and this influence is manifested most clearly in the characters of Charlo and Ved's mother. Unlike Naipaul, though, Maharaj writes her characters with love, not resentment. Also impressive is her handle on male characters and particularly, their sexuality. Even as venality leads to devastating personal consequences for Ved, the political story line is perfectly wrought. Without being too hysterical, Maharaj explores the influence of the US in Trinidad, fueled - pun fully intended - by the discovery of oil and gas reserves. Maharaj manages to balance the seriousness of this plot with the overall lightheartedness of the book, without ever trivializing the moral undertones, or conversely, exploiting the soapbox. Admittedly, the book does devolve into soap opera territory towards the end, but this is offset by the rest of the book with its colourful characters, rhythmic dialogue, delicate socio-political commentary and humourously incisive portrayal of Caribbean society.
Maharaj's freshman effort is impressive. Her writing is infused with great humour, while at the same time, she deftly exposes the underbelly of the political-corporate nexus in modern day Trinidad. Her ear for language is particularly memorable, creating characters who are both compelling and quirky, ridiculous and real. Maharaj is obviously very influenced by early Naipaul - Miguel Street,Mystic Masseur and House of Mr. Biswas in particular - and this influence is manifested most clearly in the characters of Charlo and Ved's mother. Unlike Naipaul, though, Maharaj writes her characters with love, not resentment. Also impressive is her handle on male characters and particularly, their sexuality. Even as venality leads to devastating personal consequences for Ved, the political story line is perfectly wrought. Without being too hysterical, Maharaj explores the influence of the US in Trinidad, fueled - pun fully intended - by the discovery of oil and gas reserves. Maharaj manages to balance the seriousness of this plot with the overall lightheartedness of the book, without ever trivializing the moral undertones, or conversely, exploiting the soapbox. Admittedly, the book does devolve into soap opera territory towards the end, but this is offset by the rest of the book with its colourful characters, rhythmic dialogue, delicate socio-political commentary and humourously incisive portrayal of Caribbean society.
May 25, 2021
This story is both realistic and filled with humour.
The characters had a lot of depth and there was strong character development, which made it easy to form favourites. As the characters and storyline developed, my favourite character switched quickly from Anjani in the beginning to Charlo by the end!
This book also explores the rich Indian culture in Trinidad without compromising it's unique element of realism. I am thankful to have been able to live through the Trinidadian culture and settings without having ever set foot there.
The ending was superbly written and satisfying.
Worth the read. Kudos to the author!
The characters had a lot of depth and there was strong character development, which made it easy to form favourites. As the characters and storyline developed, my favourite character switched quickly from Anjani in the beginning to Charlo by the end!
This book also explores the rich Indian culture in Trinidad without compromising it's unique element of realism. I am thankful to have been able to live through the Trinidadian culture and settings without having ever set foot there.
The ending was superbly written and satisfying.
Worth the read. Kudos to the author!
November 16, 2015
I loved this book. It had lots of humor and the situations and dialogue were very realistic. Unlike alot of Caribbean novels it does not dwell on the results of the colonial powers and the local poverty. This was a novel that focused on hope and joy in Trinidad. i loved it and am waiting for another book by this author.
November 27, 2024
Yup! I gave this 5 stars. Realistic. Flavourful. Satisfying.
The characters were fully developed and as a Trini there was a familiar comfort and hominess to them. I felt like I knew Ved's mom and Charlo and Anji because they reminded me of so many local people. This Trini coziness was reinforced by the language, setting, music amd general nods to our culture throughout the read.
What I loved most is how comprehensive Maharaj was in the shaping of the plot. No detail was spared. Seemingly insignificant events at the start of the novel became meaningful as the plot climaxed.
I will recommend to others 💯
The characters were fully developed and as a Trini there was a familiar comfort and hominess to them. I felt like I knew Ved's mom and Charlo and Anji because they reminded me of so many local people. This Trini coziness was reinforced by the language, setting, music amd general nods to our culture throughout the read.
What I loved most is how comprehensive Maharaj was in the shaping of the plot. No detail was spared. Seemingly insignificant events at the start of the novel became meaningful as the plot climaxed.
I will recommend to others 💯
April 12, 2018
too long for what it was - would have been a better book with decent editing.
September 21, 2024
A slow burn (with an emphasis on slow), but the character development is great and the descriptions are vivid; I felt like I was was able to set foot in Trinidad through this book! I would definitely read more books by this author.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews