Scan barcode
A review by khornstein1
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
4.0
For my other book club...Brilliant; this is the first book by Colson Whitehead that I've read so take that into account, all of you who liked some of his other books better.
I'm taking off one point because I found the book to be too short, specifically, the middle part of the book about life at Nickel. In order for this section to be harrowing, and in order to offer the reader no relief (other than a mildly distant narrator), Whitehead seems to rush through the story a bit. It's as if the author is in a bit of pickle--if you make it longer, you almost need to offer more: plot, character development, differentiation between characters, but because this is a true story, those details would make it less powerful. So what to do? I liked the plot twist at the end, but remember Invisible Man, another powerful book of which I was reminded while reading this, where the plot goes on for a longer period?
Also noted, as well as revealing the horrors of racism the Jim Crow south, this book is also an indictment of institutions of all sorts, and I thought of Willowbrook while reading it.
I'm taking off one point because I found the book to be too short, specifically, the middle part of the book about life at Nickel. In order for this section to be harrowing, and in order to offer the reader no relief (other than a mildly distant narrator), Whitehead seems to rush through the story a bit. It's as if the author is in a bit of pickle--if you make it longer, you almost need to offer more: plot, character development, differentiation between characters, but because this is a true story, those details would make it less powerful. So what to do? I liked the plot twist at the end, but remember Invisible Man, another powerful book of which I was reminded while reading this, where the plot goes on for a longer period?
Also noted, as well as revealing the horrors of racism the Jim Crow south, this book is also an indictment of institutions of all sorts, and I thought of Willowbrook while reading it.