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A review by margaret_j_c
The Store by T.S. Stribling
A complicated book.
Set in the days after the Civil War, when slavery had been abolished in name but remained a reality. Stribling doesn't pull any punches. He doesn't pretend that history was other than it was. There were several times when I literally put the book down because of how revolting it was.
This doesn't mean it wasn't a phenomenal book. Stribling makes it clear what his opinions are. His black characters have agency; they are nuanced and true. They are as significant to the plot as anyone else - something rare today but so much rarer in the 1930s when it was originally published. Through subtle, cutting wit Stribling offers a deadly criticism of the South post-emancipation.
Also? My American Lit professor wrote the intro so that's neat.
Set in the days after the Civil War, when slavery had been abolished in name but remained a reality. Stribling doesn't pull any punches. He doesn't pretend that history was other than it was. There were several times when I literally put the book down because of how revolting it was.
This doesn't mean it wasn't a phenomenal book. Stribling makes it clear what his opinions are. His black characters have agency; they are nuanced and true. They are as significant to the plot as anyone else - something rare today but so much rarer in the 1930s when it was originally published. Through subtle, cutting wit Stribling offers a deadly criticism of the South post-emancipation.
Also? My American Lit professor wrote the intro so that's neat.