A review by jojobobo38
Song of the Shank by Jeffery Renard Allen

2.0

I wanted very much to love this novel. I wanted its lyricism and improvisational narration style to be wonderful--I tend to love these traits. I also tend to appreciate novels that deal with race relations in complex, nuanced, but assertive ways. There were wonderful passages, and occasionally wonderful characters--the part of the novel where Seven is central is probably the strongest. But the overall effect of the book was to be improvisational without finding themes for the reader to rest in and find nuance off of. Instead I felt constantly adrift, and I felt that the overall message about race relations and about the impossibility for Black folks to win recognition in the white world to be lost in the themelessness.