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A review by emilyinherhead
Erasure by Percival Everett
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
If I didn’t already know this book was published in 2001, I would have completely believed that it just came out.
The plot is something I could see happening in 2024. Diligent, well-educated Black author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison writes a string of academically-focused books on a variety of subjects, yet fails to reach wider readership or gain critical acclaim; meanwhile, another Black author produces a pandering, over-the-top, dialect- and stereotype-laden novel about The Black Experience, and gets an enormous advance, a movie deal, and widespread popularity. And then, when Monk hastily dashes off a similar book under a pseudonym, as a mockery of the massively successful one, it instantly takes off.
Erasure is funny, sharp, and also deeply sad—as Monk’s life is exploding with new wealth and opportunity, he is also going through staggering personal loss. My only complaint is that when it ended, I wished there were more to the story.
The plot is something I could see happening in 2024. Diligent, well-educated Black author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison writes a string of academically-focused books on a variety of subjects, yet fails to reach wider readership or gain critical acclaim; meanwhile, another Black author produces a pandering, over-the-top, dialect- and stereotype-laden novel about The Black Experience, and gets an enormous advance, a movie deal, and widespread popularity. And then, when Monk hastily dashes off a similar book under a pseudonym, as a mockery of the massively successful one, it instantly takes off.
Erasure is funny, sharp, and also deeply sad—as Monk’s life is exploding with new wealth and opportunity, he is also going through staggering personal loss. My only complaint is that when it ended, I wished there were more to the story.