Reviews

Echo Tree: The Collected Short Fiction of Henry Dumas by Henry Dumas

lapsedmarxist's review against another edition

5.0

some writers are born prolific. some achieve prolificacy. and some have prolificness thrust upon them. henry dumas -undeniably- managed all three. in earnest, there are not enough superlatives in the english language to adequately describe how amazing his writing is. writing which straddles the real and surreal. writing which is untrammeled by any laws or logic. writing that quite simply… is good. like, really really good. 

joshsimp's review

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

thegr8estangell's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was super difficult for me to read. I don’t think I am smart enough for a book like this. I think I would have liked this more if I was reading it for a literature class. I kinda wanted an English teacher to hold my hand through this one. Sometimes I understood what was going on and other times I didn’t. I’m also not a big fan of short story collections in general. There was only one at the end that I really could pin down as sci-fi. All the others where more literary. Also, I think a Boy Scout got molested by a ghost lady? That whole story was weird and confusing. 

stephenl's review

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

baibhavreadsagain's review

5.0

This has been the most complete picture of afro-surrealist literature I've read ever. All of the stories embody some quality of Afro-surrealist movement or the other. Henry Dumas was one of the most influential American authors, albeit not as well recognized. Please read his short stories or poems if you haven't. They have been ever-relevant to the racial climate in the US, but a conscious rediscovery of works by the likes of Dumas right now would enlighten and fit the our current times.

dubiousdeeds's review

4.0

Great short stories about civil rights and black life in the US (both rural and urban), set during a few different times and wavering between realist, eerie, mystical and symbolist tones.

This is a must-read, but sometimes hard to find as a physical book outside the US. It is available on audible and from openlibrary though, so please give it a try.

mccordian's review against another edition

5.0

I like my short story collections succise when they've sufficed, so exactly that: short. Most ‘collected works’ on my shelves have pristine spines beyond their midpoint, often leaving my guilt tank half full (or half empty when the weather’s nice). However, Henry Dumas, though sprinkling many of the same thematic toppings, offers the reader every flavor in the parlor. Most of the stories deserve pause, post read, to let what just happened wash over, only to immediately rev the curiosity into the next.

ratvibes's review

Good but too much for me before it had to go to the library! Note to self: stop checking out physical books from the library u are bad at reading them!!

readbyrodkelly's review

3.0

This book was a bit of a challenge; one of those books that has me asking myself if I'm intelligent enough to fully appreciate its brilliance. I'm somewhere on the fence. I purchased it because of Toni Morrison's esteemed endorsement (and she's my literary queen!)...but Dumas writes from a place that's heavily inspired by themes that are so contemporaneous to the 1950s and 60s that it's hard to connect. Other times he writes big, heady fables that really take a lot of effort to understand.