BOOK REVIEW: Nalda Said by Stuart David

Nalda Said is a good first novel by Belle & Sebastian bass player Stuart David. A quick read at 152 pages the novel(la) is about a man who believes that he has a rare diamond stuck in his intestinal tract, and waits his whole life to pass his jewel and become rich. The man, who is also the untrustworthy narrator, lives a quiet life as a gardener, scared to death that someone will somehow find out his secret and cut him open to steal the diamond. Nalda, the reader is told, is his aunt, who came to take care of him after his jewel-theif father had to go into hiding. Nalda weaves fantastic stories to entertain and enlighten the sheltered boy, including the story of the diamond, and the boy, as he turns into a man, believes every word to be true. Nalda is taken away before she can tell the man the truth, so he goes on believing the stories.

There are obvious comparisons of tests of faith throughout the book--of enduring suffering or sadness, believing that someday something will happen to make you happy, and whole--like winning the lottery, or being welcomed into heaven. I think that the point of this book is that faith in anything, no matter how false, or superficial, or profound is what moves us. Even if we never win the lottery or pass a diamond, it's important to believe in possibility.

Recommended.