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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Fresh and vital and god damn terrifying. As it's supposed to be.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Richard Wright always cooks. One of the best to ever do it (it being write).
dark
reflective
medium-paced
A novel written during WW2 and rejected for publication, a shorter version was published in a journal, and later in a posthumous collection. The full novel was first published in 2021 when Wright's grandson pushed for it.
It's a curiosity, part powerful, part quirky. Wright takes a close look at police brutality (a pointed noted in the publisher's rejection documentation). Then a frantic escape goes almost surreal. Maybe think Plato's cave. It's a combination of Wright's creativity and his romantic mindset, and it makes an odd combination of strange guy in a strange place doing strange things that quite make sense. Wright has is purpose though. In a long afterward, intended to be published with the novel, Wright claimed it's a response to the stubborn illogical religious faith his grandmother followed and depended on.
It's a curiosity, part powerful, part quirky. Wright takes a close look at police brutality (a pointed noted in the publisher's rejection documentation). Then a frantic escape goes almost surreal. Maybe think Plato's cave. It's a combination of Wright's creativity and his romantic mindset, and it makes an odd combination of strange guy in a strange place doing strange things that quite make sense. Wright has is purpose though. In a long afterward, intended to be published with the novel, Wright claimed it's a response to the stubborn illogical religious faith his grandmother followed and depended on.
This book is about so much more than the police brutality and racism angle that is throughout the book. The current theme, that keeps on cropping up in my reading, is religion. This theme came up again, and the additional 90min essay/letter, by the author, helps to explain how religion helped inform this story.
Are all Richard Wright books this hardhitting? After some recovery, I'll have to find.
Are all Richard Wright books this hardhitting? After some recovery, I'll have to find.
The book starts interestingly enough. A black man walking home from his job is stopped by the cops and accused of murdering a white Family, then tortured and abused into admitting to the crime. He escapes into the sewer system. Most of the short book is describing his time underground, sneaking up into basements and stealing items, often for no reason. The writing style is filled with a sense of place, but it doesn't really go anywhere and felt rather pointless. The title is misleading, as he was only underground for three days.
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
boring man realizes life is more than money and goes insane in the sewers. cool.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated