A review by nujibuji
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

2.0

I really wanted to love this book because of the subject matter and the raving reviews, but something fell short for me. There is no doubt the stories in this book needs to be told over and over again, especially in the climate we're living in today, but the author's writing style may not be right for me. I felt too much distance to the protagonist. It was written in third person, which allowed for the author to explore other characters' perspectives and build in social commentary but did not allow for me to connect with any one character. The structure of the story was fragmented and so was the timeline, which left me confused at times and lent to the disconnection. The author tried to address too many aspects of slavery and its affects on the people, making it more like a tour rather than in-depth exploration of any one area. The voice of the characters and attitudes expressed felt too modern, like something people would say in hindsight (which is exactly what the author has at his disposal to write this story). Perhaps that is what makes this work unique and innovative and lauded so highly, but it lacked the emotional connection I was hoping to make with the characters and their journeys.

Can I also add that I was pulled into this book by the title and the blurb, thinking this book would completely revolve around this literal underground railroad - which sounded like a unique take on a popular subject matter, but that ended up just being a small part of the bigger story.