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A review by paperbacksandsketchbooks
The Grand Scheme of Things by Warona Jay
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you Simon Books for the e-ARC!
The Grand Scheme of Things follows Naledi (Eddie) and Hugo as they devise a plan to get Naledi's play into the spotlight. Naledi is a black immigrant to England, and Hugo is a white man, so they conduct an experiment to see if Naledi's play will gain more success if the writer's name is a white male's name. Newsflash: it does. So much so that Naledi and Hugo ride out this lie for as long as they can, even though Hugo feels guilty that he's getting recognition for this play instead of Naledi. (But does he really feel guilty, though?)
This story is written in a very interesting way, and I actually enjoyed the writing style. We had POVs from Naledi/Eddie and Hugo. It sounded like they were speaking to each other, since there was this second person narration going on. I thought it made the story more personal and allowed me to get more of a sense of these characters' emotions and backstory.
The most interesting thing about this story, though, is that it is truly up to the reader to decide if Naledi and Hugo's scheming was morally just. Should Naledi have used Hugo to garner success? Should Hugo have turned down Naledi's idea to use his name? Should Naledi have fought harder to get an agency to accept her play with her name? It really makes you think about the grand scheme of things.
These characters are not meant to be super likeable - they're meant to be real. If you're a fan of literary fiction and are interested in reading more of a case study about race and morality, you'll enjoy this book!
The Grand Scheme of Things follows Naledi (Eddie) and Hugo as they devise a plan to get Naledi's play into the spotlight. Naledi is a black immigrant to England, and Hugo is a white man, so they conduct an experiment to see if Naledi's play will gain more success if the writer's name is a white male's name. Newsflash: it does. So much so that Naledi and Hugo ride out this lie for as long as they can, even though Hugo feels guilty that he's getting recognition for this play instead of Naledi. (But does he really feel guilty, though?)
This story is written in a very interesting way, and I actually enjoyed the writing style. We had POVs from Naledi/Eddie and Hugo. It sounded like they were speaking to each other, since there was this second person narration going on. I thought it made the story more personal and allowed me to get more of a sense of these characters' emotions and backstory.
The most interesting thing about this story, though, is that it is truly up to the reader to decide if Naledi and Hugo's scheming was morally just. Should Naledi have used Hugo to garner success? Should Hugo have turned down Naledi's idea to use his name? Should Naledi have fought harder to get an agency to accept her play with her name? It really makes you think about the grand scheme of things.
These characters are not meant to be super likeable - they're meant to be real. If you're a fan of literary fiction and are interested in reading more of a case study about race and morality, you'll enjoy this book!