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altef 's review for:
Washington Black
by Esi Edugyan
Overall I enjoyed Washington Black, but found it relegated to the interstices; waiting in line, or otherwise, when nothing more interesting was to be done.
The prose I cannot fault. It was smooth, and consistent in its affectation, which must be a difficult thing to do. The characterisations were of similar quality. Toward the start we experience the protagonist’s perceptions as a child, but as conveyed by his older self, and that was adeptly done.
The story was interesting, and when I did read it I was engrossed. Where it was lacking, I think, was its plotting. There was little to pull me back to it when I stopped.
This continued through to the end, which felt forced. As if the author found herself with a book of sufficient length, but no clear ending, and fell back on the artifice of mirroring an earlier event from the opposite perspective.
Overall I enjoyed it. But in a leisurely way. Without any real hunger to find out what would happen next. And mild disappointment when I finally did.
The prose I cannot fault. It was smooth, and consistent in its affectation, which must be a difficult thing to do. The characterisations were of similar quality. Toward the start we experience the protagonist’s perceptions as a child, but as conveyed by his older self, and that was adeptly done.
The story was interesting, and when I did read it I was engrossed. Where it was lacking, I think, was its plotting. There was little to pull me back to it when I stopped.
This continued through to the end, which felt forced. As if the author found herself with a book of sufficient length, but no clear ending, and fell back on the artifice of mirroring an earlier event from the opposite perspective.
Overall I enjoyed it. But in a leisurely way. Without any real hunger to find out what would happen next. And mild disappointment when I finally did.