A review by afterthegoldrushes
Another Country by James Baldwin

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

i'm struggling with how i felt about this one. the subject matter is definitely controversial and is portrayed with a brutal honesty, and i commend the effort. i don't think the intent was to absolve rufus of any blame for his actions. his treatment of leona is just a sad and terrible fact, and the characters of the novel have to come to terms with that fact. how do the people who loved rufus move on from the fact that he did something terrible? ida sides with her brother entirely, richard proclaims he never saw the good in him, vivaldo tries to help leona while still hoping there is redemption for rufus. could redemption have been possible? and are the rest of them doomed to repeat these cycles? in the face of the world they live in – is there a way out? 

it's messy, and unfortunately this messiness, while providing realism and complexity, tends to leave the novel scattered and the pacing feels aimless at times. by the last quarter it dragged and dragged and i was tired. it's not my favourite of his novels, but even a flawed baldwin novel is still a work of art in itself.