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A review by alexkerner
John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead
3.0
Whitehead is without a doubt one of the most skilled writers in American literature. His sentences are dense and filled with meaning, but also beautiful, vivid, and expressive. He shines here, in his take of the John Henry story, exploring its origins, its interpretations, and how it has penetrated deep into the canon of American mythology, culminating at a festival commemorating Henry's fatal attempt to defeat a steam powered machine aiming to displace human steel drivers.
All that said, the story at times is too complicated, encompassing too many perspectives, to hold together cohesively. It took me two months to get through it and partly that is the result of how Whitehead has structured the narrative. The multiple stories being told definitely add to the breadth of what he's trying to accomplish, but it takes away from the sheer enjoyment of reading Whitehead's prose.
Worth picking up but my least favourite of the three Whitehead books I have read so far.
All that said, the story at times is too complicated, encompassing too many perspectives, to hold together cohesively. It took me two months to get through it and partly that is the result of how Whitehead has structured the narrative. The multiple stories being told definitely add to the breadth of what he's trying to accomplish, but it takes away from the sheer enjoyment of reading Whitehead's prose.
Worth picking up but my least favourite of the three Whitehead books I have read so far.