A review by ddejong
A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines

Read for Close Reads podcast. I struggled with this book from beginning to end. I don’t know how to rate it because I think it has many things to commend it as a piece of literature—however that didn’t translate into my loving it. The hardest part of this book was the—for me—cacophony of different narrative voices. Every chapter switches off to a new narrator. There are a few repetitions but not many. While I could appreciate the communal feel this gave the book, it made the characters very slippery for me. I was never with them long enough to develop a sense for their personality and voice before it was on to the next one. There were also so many characters that I simply couldn’t keep track of who they were throughout the book. I was left wondering why certain characters (Mathu, Mapes, Candy) were never given the opportunity to speak. There were some very poignant sections of the book and the denouement came as something as a surprise. In summary, I am glad I read the book but was never excited to pick it up and read it. But part of the reason I love Close Reads is because I value the discipline of reading a book chosen by people I respect that I wouldn’t otherwise choose and giving it my consideration.