A review by nigel_hakeem
Real Life by Brandon Taylor

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

5.0

What an amazing novel! Painted such a clear picture of life in academia and the pitfalls that come with it. What could have been a passable campus novel became so much more. The best parts of the book were when the main character, Wallace, was left to think and ruminate on his own. His thoughts about being black in a group of white friends, the small uncomfortable and unspoken moments that would quietly eat away at him were heartbreaking. I had to put the book down several times because of how angry I was at the people around him. Other parts were hard not to skip ahead because I wanted to know what was going to happen so badly.

Taylor changes tenses 3 times in the book and though this sounds like it would be confusing, it fits with the narrative really well and shows what a fantastic writer he is; and this is his debut!

I can't wait to read more from Brandon Taylor and this book is an instant classic. A must-read for anyone in grad school.
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