Not only have there been many accounts of the macabre events [of the Jonestown Massacre] but the question of interpretation has continued to intrigue many commentators…. [With] so much data already on hand, it seems unlikely that any startling new facts will be uncovered and the question of interpretation becomes more pressing. ["Journey to Nowhere: A New World Tragedy"] stands out by its resolute attack on this question and its refusal to accept easy answers. Mr. Naipaul … is a sharp, sometimes pitiless observer. He is a masterful writer. And he was determined to gain an independent understanding of the Jonestown phenomenon. These qualities make for a book that no one interested in the matter can afford to ignore.

Mr. Naipaul's quest for an explanation took him both to California and to Guyana, to the beginning and end points of the movement, and "Journey to Nowhere" is an account...