A review by misslisa11
Erasure by Percival Everett

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Book 60 of 2024: Erasure by Percival Everett

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thelonious "Monk" Ellison's writing career has bottomed out. His latest manuscript has been rejected by seventeen publishers. He seethes on the sidelines of the literary establishment as he watches the meteoric success of We's Lives in Da Ghetto, a first novel by a woman who once visited "some relatives in Harlem for a couple of days." Meanwhile, Monk struggles with real family tragedies―his aged mother is fast succumbing to Alzheimer's, and he still grapples with the reverberations of his father's suicide seven years before. In his rage and despair, Monk dashes off a novel meant to be an indictment of the bestseller. He doesn't intend for his book to be published, let alone taken seriously, but it is―under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh―and soon it becomes the Next Big Thing.

I’ve been meaning to read Percival Everett for a while and I’m so glad I finally did! This book was razor sharp. The satire of a Black author writing a story that is “Black” enough to cater to white peoples’ preconceived notions about what the Black experience is was delicious. I appreciated Monk’s character so much, he was complex and had so many different layers, which were demonstrated through his relationships with his family and colleagues. There was also a lot of family drama as the reader witnesses Monk navigate his mother’s illness, loss of his sister, and fractured relationship with his brother. This book was so smart and I loved Everett’s writing. Will definitely read more of his works on the future!