A review by palaktrivedi
The Cay by Theodore Taylor

2.0

At first, I thought that I was going to be incredibly disappointed by this book. It starts off bland, pretty racist and a little annoying. But as it continues on, I come to love Timothy and his dynamic with Phillip. I have a pretty big problem with the way Phillip (through the author) describes Timothy and calls him ugly all the time, but I’m glad Phillip continues to be humbled throughout the experience. I don't love the trope of "kind person of color changes white person's mind by being nice to them in the face of their blatant racism." After further research, I learned this is something known as the "Magical Negro" trope which is "a supporting stock character who comes to the aid of white protagonists in a film {or book}. Although I understand the idea and underlying theme of wanting Phillip to understand his ignorance, I feel there is a way to accomplish that without enforcing negative stereotypes or calling him ugly over and over and OVER again. The imagery and the author's ability to really pull me into the island and what Phillip thought and noticed was good; I hardly ever found myself skimming, which is pretty common for me. I remember really loving this book when I was a kid and I find myself really engaged with it once more and its definitely due to the way the author makes the reader care for Timothy. I remember sobbing when I was younger when I read that Timothy had died and even now, I shed a tear or two for his sacrifice. Timothy is definitely my favorite aspect of the book, as is Stew Cat, whose personality found little moments of spotlight. The end felt a little cliche, but its a pretty old book and having it end so perfectly and full circle was nice for once. If it weren't for nostalgia or Timothy, I think this book might sit at a 2 out of 5, but it evoked emotion in me and so I bumped it up a little more for that.