A review by balladofreadingqueer
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

This book was a quick read. I was intrigued by the premise of the Underground Railroad as an actual railroad and not a metaphor. The story follows Cora and her friends as she flees a southern plantation to freedom in the North. The chapters also include the point of view of the enslaver and slave catcher. There is a lot of violence and sexual assault.

Unfortunately the Underground Railroad part that I was excited about is actually relatively minor, so much more could have been done with this great idea but it doesn’t discuss how it was created, how it was started, limited discussions of how it was operated and no discussions of Harriet Tubman. I found it a little disappointing.
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