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A review by bookishrealm
The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris
5.0
Brittney Morris is determined to screw up my soul and my heart. I knew that this was going to be sad, but I don't think I realized how sad this was truly going to be. 4.5 Stars
In the beginning of The Cost of Knowing, Brittney Morris identifies this book as a love letter to Black boys. Some people will feel like this isn't a love letter and that it focuses too much on the trauma of Black boys and men. However, when I thought about this more I feel like this love letter is meant to say "we see you, we feel you, and we recognize how much you go through." It's a letter that let's them know they aren't alone. I've been telling people that this book won't be for everyone. The nature of the book itself is intense and I feel like those with anxiety may struggle with the anxiety representation because it literally makes the reader feel heavy. I don't struggle with anxiety and there were aspects of this book that made it very difficult to read. Nevertheless, this illustrates the ability of Morris to capture the feelings that a lot of Black boys and men experience.
The book itself focuses on Alex who has the ability to see into the future. If any object crosses into his hands, Alex can see the future of that object. It makes his daily life extremely difficult to navigate and it gets even more intense when he sees a vision of his brothers death. Alex is then determined to stop it from happening. The level of anxiety that he feels in trying to stop it is what will probably make this a difficult read for a lot of people. Alex constantly worries and stresses over the ways in which his brother could possibly die and the strategies that he has to use to stop it from happening. This is probably where it's most important to see the allegory. The stress and anxiety that Alex feels in relation to his brothers life is the same feelings that a lot of Black men and boys carry. It's stifling to have to live your life day to day fearing that you or your loved ones could die at any point. It's hard to enjoy anything.
The Cost of Knowing also does some interesting thing in terms of exploring the Black family unit and the generational trauma that we often experience. The fears that our ancestors had are not that different from the fears that we have now. Because of the trauma that we face, we often condition and teach our children to have the same fears in order to attempt to protect their lives. This is clearly illustrated through the relationship that Alex and Isaiah have with their own family. Morris doesn't shy away from showing how this continues to and will continue to impact the Black community.
I wouldn't say that there is a specific pacing to this novel. It doesn't feel exclusively fast or slow. It feels like it could be a little bit of both depending on the specific part of the book. The ending definitely had my heart racing and shattered me to pieces. Overall, I just think that this book is brilliantly written. To be able to craft so much emotion into a book really shows the skills that Morris has. I didn't expect the varying emotions that I felt from anger to painful sorrow. This book weighed on me and it is one that will stick with me for a long time.
In the beginning of The Cost of Knowing, Brittney Morris identifies this book as a love letter to Black boys. Some people will feel like this isn't a love letter and that it focuses too much on the trauma of Black boys and men. However, when I thought about this more I feel like this love letter is meant to say "we see you, we feel you, and we recognize how much you go through." It's a letter that let's them know they aren't alone. I've been telling people that this book won't be for everyone. The nature of the book itself is intense and I feel like those with anxiety may struggle with the anxiety representation because it literally makes the reader feel heavy. I don't struggle with anxiety and there were aspects of this book that made it very difficult to read. Nevertheless, this illustrates the ability of Morris to capture the feelings that a lot of Black boys and men experience.
The book itself focuses on Alex who has the ability to see into the future. If any object crosses into his hands, Alex can see the future of that object. It makes his daily life extremely difficult to navigate and it gets even more intense when he sees a vision of his brothers death. Alex is then determined to stop it from happening. The level of anxiety that he feels in trying to stop it is what will probably make this a difficult read for a lot of people. Alex constantly worries and stresses over the ways in which his brother could possibly die and the strategies that he has to use to stop it from happening. This is probably where it's most important to see the allegory. The stress and anxiety that Alex feels in relation to his brothers life is the same feelings that a lot of Black men and boys carry. It's stifling to have to live your life day to day fearing that you or your loved ones could die at any point. It's hard to enjoy anything.
The Cost of Knowing also does some interesting thing in terms of exploring the Black family unit and the generational trauma that we often experience. The fears that our ancestors had are not that different from the fears that we have now. Because of the trauma that we face, we often condition and teach our children to have the same fears in order to attempt to protect their lives. This is clearly illustrated through the relationship that Alex and Isaiah have with their own family. Morris doesn't shy away from showing how this continues to and will continue to impact the Black community.
I wouldn't say that there is a specific pacing to this novel. It doesn't feel exclusively fast or slow. It feels like it could be a little bit of both depending on the specific part of the book. The ending definitely had my heart racing and shattered me to pieces. Overall, I just think that this book is brilliantly written. To be able to craft so much emotion into a book really shows the skills that Morris has. I didn't expect the varying emotions that I felt from anger to painful sorrow. This book weighed on me and it is one that will stick with me for a long time.