A review by raphaliest
Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A brutal depiction of slavery in America of the 19th century. Realistic and ruthless how settlers, farmers have treated Black people as their property in the most hateful and inhumane ways. We follow Cora‘s journey and constant struggle to escape slavery and the system of persecutors that try to bring her back to that hellhole. Although we witness a great deal of cruelty, the novel does not portray one monstrosity after another. It is also a Black „Bildungsroman“ and has some legendary elements to it, the legends that surround Cora‘s mother or the secrecy about the existence of the Underground railroad, for instance.
It took a while for me to read it and sometimes I got lost because of the amount of side characters. I also often lost attention while reading because the language is quite literal. I also did not get as emotionally involved with the characters’ journey as I would have expected due to the theme of the book. 
But nonetheless it is a book that is necessary and important for everybody to read as it shows the consequences of dehumanization. 
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