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A review by kennethwade
Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris
3.0
Invisible Life follows the lives of several black men in the 1990s, most of whom are queer and closeted. Because of this, the story deals heavily with homophobia (external and internal), identity struggles, and AIDS. It also discusses the ways that the women in their lives are affected by their actions.
This book is pretty outdated on its ideas of sexuality (and particularly bisexuality) at times, and I couldn’t tell if the author was commenting on that or falling victim to it.
The main character, Raymond, is incredibly selfish. He drags people along with no concern for how it might affect them, so long as *he* is happy. He is very inconsistent, acting immaturely on whims and impulses. Again, I couldn’t tell if the author was condoning or reprimanding this behavior.
I think this book is very much like a time capsule, representative of how it felt to be a black queer man in the 1990s. However, I’m not sure how much cultural value it holds in 2018 because of its outdated portrayals of sexuality and masculinity.
That being said, I did find it both interesting and entertaining. Watching Raymond’s life unfold was something akin to a Shakespearean tragedy. There are two more books in this series, but as of now I have no interest in continuing. Maybe I’ll try one of Harris’ other books?
3 out of 5 stars
This book is pretty outdated on its ideas of sexuality (and particularly bisexuality) at times, and I couldn’t tell if the author was commenting on that or falling victim to it.
The main character, Raymond, is incredibly selfish. He drags people along with no concern for how it might affect them, so long as *he* is happy. He is very inconsistent, acting immaturely on whims and impulses. Again, I couldn’t tell if the author was condoning or reprimanding this behavior.
I think this book is very much like a time capsule, representative of how it felt to be a black queer man in the 1990s. However, I’m not sure how much cultural value it holds in 2018 because of its outdated portrayals of sexuality and masculinity.
That being said, I did find it both interesting and entertaining. Watching Raymond’s life unfold was something akin to a Shakespearean tragedy. There are two more books in this series, but as of now I have no interest in continuing. Maybe I’ll try one of Harris’ other books?
3 out of 5 stars