V. S. Naipaul's novel The Enigma of Arrival revolves around peripatetic explorations of an England in decay. Saturated in pensive sadness, the novel has been read often as nostalgic for the time of empire. Against such views, this article reconsiders Enigma's affective strategies by illuminating how it appropriates a romantic imaginary of walking among ruins and re-posits it in postcolonial context. The article demonstrates how Enigma's romanticist sadness and embodied engagement with place perform a critical revision of idealized fantasies of England and its imperial history.