Take a photo of a barcode or cover
eliel_is_yellow 's review for:
Blacktop Wasteland
by S.A. Cosby
OH. MY. GOD.
Where do I start with this crazy rollercoaster of a book?
The writing is absolutely on point. It's self-assured and razor-sharp. Cosby has strong simile game. He has probably made up a bunch of new sentences that nobody had ever thought of, and that did their jobs so well that it's surprising no one had thought of using words that way. It's vivid and atmospheric. His action scenes are exhilarating and mesmerizing. I thought the was the most fabulous thing ever, until I got to the . It's absolutely superbly written.
The plot has so many twists and turns that I just didn't know what to expect. At one point I thought but I didn't expect . And when I thought she , she . I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and I literally could not put down this book.
The characters are flawed, complex, and real. Whether or not they're likable, I can still empathize with them. Bug's struggle between his two identities. Ronnie's desire to not be poor white trash anymore. Kia's hope and despair as a mother and a wife. These characters leaped out from the pages and stared at me as if they were real people.
The social commentary on race and masculinity in this book made me think a lot about the experience of living as a black man in the US. I couldn't find it anywhere but in an interview, Cosby mentioned the concept of a tragic masculinity, the kind of masculinity that compels men to "fix it," no matter what "it" is. They feel the need to should the burden, and they're not able to cut themselves any slack because they feel it's their responsibility by design. On top of that, for a black man, the chances of things going wrong is naturally pretty high. It's vicious cycle, as whatever means they "fix it" is bound to create more problems in the long run for them to "fix." And so on and so forth.
As I finally put down this book, I feel like I'm in a daze. It's an incredible experience. I sincerely hope that Hollywood picks it up and does it justice. I'll go see the movie adaptation in a heartbeat.
Where do I start with this crazy rollercoaster of a book?
The writing is absolutely on point. It's self-assured and razor-sharp. Cosby has strong simile game. He has probably made up a bunch of new sentences that nobody had ever thought of, and that did their jobs so well that it's surprising no one had thought of using words that way. It's vivid and atmospheric. His action scenes are exhilarating and mesmerizing. I thought the
Spoiler
jewelry store heistSpoiler
platinum heist and Bug's roaring rampage of vengeance afterwardsThe plot has so many twists and turns that I just didn't know what to expect. At one point I thought
Spoiler
Jenny was going to die because of the assassin on the way to her apartmentSpoiler
her to kill the dude because she was a survivor of domestic violenceSpoiler
was driving towards the sunset and her new lifeSpoiler
ended up being killed off off-screenThe characters are flawed, complex, and real. Whether or not they're likable, I can still empathize with them. Bug's struggle between his two identities. Ronnie's desire to not be poor white trash anymore. Kia's hope and despair as a mother and a wife. These characters leaped out from the pages and stared at me as if they were real people.
The social commentary on race and masculinity in this book made me think a lot about the experience of living as a black man in the US. I couldn't find it anywhere but in an interview, Cosby mentioned the concept of a tragic masculinity, the kind of masculinity that compels men to "fix it," no matter what "it" is. They feel the need to should the burden, and they're not able to cut themselves any slack because they feel it's their responsibility by design. On top of that, for a black man, the chances of things going wrong is naturally pretty high. It's vicious cycle, as whatever means they "fix it" is bound to create more problems in the long run for them to "fix." And so on and so forth.
As I finally put down this book, I feel like I'm in a daze. It's an incredible experience. I sincerely hope that Hollywood picks it up and does it justice. I'll go see the movie adaptation in a heartbeat.