A review by booksteader
Incognegro: Renaissance by Mat Johnson

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 don't typically read graphic novels but I was absorbed from the first page, and happily so. Thanks to this book, I intend to seek out more graphic novels to read in the future. This novel tells the story of a journalist investigating the suspicious death of a black writer at the home of a white writer during a scandalous interracial party. The journalist is able to "pass" due to his light skin and with a few disguising tricks. Set during the Harlem Renaissance, the language is authentic but jarring at times and the culture and attitudes are difficult to stomach, though we still hear similar statements and witness identical attitudes daily in present times. The history, the mystery, and the dialogue all make this novel engaging, exciting, and un-put-downable. I read it in just a couple of hours, and I'm eager to read more from these authors and about that time.

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