[8][9] From 1968 to 1972, Naipaul Akal worked as a part-time tutor in Sociology at the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine, Trinidad, followed by a full-time post as a teacher of Geography at the Convent schools and at Tranquillity.
[12] Though the women of the Naipaul family were briefly given additional focus when Nicholas Laughlin added unpublished correspondences with these women to Letters between a Father and Son (as co-editor of its second edition), V. S. Naipaul later removed these letters and restored the earlier text for subsequent editions.
[13] Naipaul Akal writes of how her mother, Droapatie, managed the family's finances and ensured all seven children (including the five daughters) went to university.
[12] The book also explores Droapatie's diplomatic handling of her husband's desire for independence — as well as his job as a reporter and his literary ambitions — against the demands of being a part of the large, high-profile Capildeo family.
[15] In The Spectator, reviewer Patrick Skene-Catling describes Naipaul Akal herself as "evidently ... sharply observant as well as affectionate" and says that the author mostly maintains "admirable moderation, balance and good humour" on her subjects.
[12] Her son Kiran has developed her former Valsayn-based boutique into an international tea and spirits brand, SMAKS Luxury Group.
[11][18] Her other son, Ashvin, is treasurer of the Friends of Mr Biswas — the group that manages Naipaul House and Literary Museum.