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A review by jessica_lam
The Colossus of New York by
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
Do you remember when you saw a Shakespeare play performed live, the way it was intended to be consumed, and all of a sudden the words on the page that didn't make a lick of sense all of a sudden you had sobbing or rolling on the floor? While that's not exactly the case of The Colossus of New York, I'd say that Colson Whitehead's rhythmic and melodic voice added atmosphere, depth, and tone to beautiful prose the way my inner voice could never.
Read like beat poetry, Whitehead's description of New York feels like a familiar mix of the romanticized New York and the one that you trudge through on your way to work. His born-and-raised pedigree shows in how much he loves and simultaneously critiques the most cliched, oft portrayed pieces of New York, from Broadway to Central Park. The thirteen vignettes feel at once fictional and familiar.
Or perhaps I'm spending the holidays away from the city I've called home for the past 20 years and am missing it a bit, nostalgic for a place I'm constantly losing.
Read like beat poetry, Whitehead's description of New York feels like a familiar mix of the romanticized New York and the one that you trudge through on your way to work. His born-and-raised pedigree shows in how much he loves and simultaneously critiques the most cliched, oft portrayed pieces of New York, from Broadway to Central Park. The thirteen vignettes feel at once fictional and familiar.
Or perhaps I'm spending the holidays away from the city I've called home for the past 20 years and am missing it a bit, nostalgic for a place I'm constantly losing.