Scan barcode
A review by brettcarl
Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
An exploration into male sexuality in the black community, Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris is an intriguing and mostly enjoyable read.
Critically, no single element of this book is flawless, whether its the prose, world-building, themes, characters or plot, each element has room for improvement, but each element is at least satisfying. Case in point, the examination of intersectionality between race, gender and sexuality is touched upon and integrated into the story well, also all the characters have distinct personalities, and significantly, thet are feel real, human. Furthermore, probably the strongest element of the novel was its tone and atmosphere, in particularly not only did the novel feel very 90s, which helped flesh out the story's world and themes, but also the added details to black culture - food, music, etc - also legitimised many elements of the story too.
Thus, while I did enjoy reading Harris's novel, issues such as a meandering plot with a disappointing conclusion, as well as overly simplistic prose which -as previously stated - was easy to read, but meant that many elements of the novel were lacking much needed depth which means I cannot highly rate this novel regardless of how much I may like certain aspects.
Critically, no single element of this book is flawless, whether its the prose, world-building, themes, characters or plot, each element has room for improvement, but each element is at least satisfying. Case in point, the examination of intersectionality between race, gender and sexuality is touched upon and integrated into the story well, also all the characters have distinct personalities, and significantly, thet are feel real, human. Furthermore, probably the strongest element of the novel was its tone and atmosphere, in particularly not only did the novel feel very 90s, which helped flesh out the story's world and themes, but also the added details to black culture - food, music, etc - also legitimised many elements of the story too.
Thus, while I did enjoy reading Harris's novel, issues such as a meandering plot with a disappointing conclusion, as well as overly simplistic prose which -as previously stated - was easy to read, but meant that many elements of the novel were lacking much needed depth which means I cannot highly rate this novel regardless of how much I may like certain aspects.