A review by anniecat
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

dark emotional sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

This book is one of the best I've read in recent years. Colson Whitehead does an incredible job delving into each of the boys, even the so called bullies, and making them fully fleshed out and loveable. The writing style was very to the point and even casual at times, and I loved how it got you into the heads of the characters. 

I will say, even though I admit this was an amazing book, it was also one of the most difficult I've read in my entire life. Not because it was hard to decipher, but because the content was so horrifying and disturbing that I felt physically ill every time I picked up the book. Whitehead does an incredible job at providing visceral imagery that haunts me to this day, and the fact that this story is based on a real school is beyond disturbing. If I just read about it and it gave me nightmares, what about the children who were forced to go through these horrors in real life? 

The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because it made me sick every time I read it, and even though I think it's an important book to read, I cannot say it was enjoyable and it's not one I could recommend to just anyone without heavy content warnings.
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