Review by aman757 - The Nickel Boys

aman757 's review for:

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

4.5

hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

the aspect of the book that is most notable to me from reading is the primary setting,

a reform school

, which i do not remember being portrayed in any other book i've read. nonetheless, the book is still very character-driven, with the focus on the setting intricately blending with the story arc of the main character and primary complementary characters. the distinction of a singular main character in the book is especially significant considering the title, which may suggest focus on the narrative of a group, which the author achieves in a way by detailing interactions of the main character with individuals in the community where the character lives before being admitted to the reform school, classmates and guard instructors in the school, and community members after release from the school. another aspect i'd considered fascinating is the dynamic of segregation within the reform school that is still present at the time when the book is set. the author writes such a narrative as to suggest that while the reform school for the main character and his classmates in the non-white segment of the reform population entails violent abuse from the white segment of the school population, along with from the instructors and administrators who basically function as correction officers in the reform school, the main character finds a kind of bittersweet growth in such a way as to perceive the environment where he lives through a wise, reflective lens, which is sweet in the aspect of conveying wisdom, and bitter in that his perspective still reflects that of someone who faced immense struggle during childhood to reach that perspective in reflecting on his stay in the reform school years later. and lastly, i'll mention that the book features a mexican child in the reform school, which although i do not remember many aspects of the perspective he offers, i'd read that detail as placing focus on the reform school as an entire institution, not only through the lens of blackness and whiteness that is usually primary in a story involving institutional segregation, and while prevalent in the description the author gives of the reform school, is not the perspective exclusively.

Content Warnings