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A review by amandadevoursbooks
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is part of tordotcom's four novella set re-imagining HP Lovecraft stories. The other novellas include the Dream Quest of Villet Boe, Agents of Dreamland, and Hammers on Bone.
In this book, Lavalle takes HP Lovecrafts arguably most racist story and reworks it with a Black Protagonist and very white detective.
Charles Thomas Tester is a street musician. He's not very good. He makes most of his money busking, and he occasionally delivers packages. As he goes about his day, he meets a rich eccentric white man who invites him to play at a party in his mansion. The story unfolds in a matter of days as Tester copes with the world he's been invited into.
The white cop's POV was hard to read. Both men use their identities to keep themselves safe and both men learn what happens when their identities are removed.
The police murdering Charles dad gutted me, and it forced me to reflect on our existing systems that allow Black men to be killed and white cops to walk away.
If you are a person who likes reimagining of HP Lovecraft's work like the City we Became and if you like speculative fiction, you will likely appreciate this book.
In this book, Lavalle takes HP Lovecrafts arguably most racist story and reworks it with a Black Protagonist and very white detective.
Charles Thomas Tester is a street musician. He's not very good. He makes most of his money busking, and he occasionally delivers packages. As he goes about his day, he meets a rich eccentric white man who invites him to play at a party in his mansion. The story unfolds in a matter of days as Tester copes with the world he's been invited into.
The white cop's POV was hard to read. Both men use their identities to keep themselves safe and both men learn what happens when their identities are removed.
If you are a person who likes reimagining of HP Lovecraft's work like the City we Became and if you like speculative fiction, you will likely appreciate this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia