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A review by awebofstories
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Grade: A
Oh boy, this book will crawl into your psyche, shake you, and then never leave.
I wasn't sure I would read this. The only other Colson Whitehead book I've read is The Underground Railroad, which did not work for me (in short: I had trouble following the narrative and staying engaged). Given that, I was somewhat expecting this to be a repeat performance. However, I settled in with this immediately and found it difficult to put down.
However, just because I found this book readable doesn't mean I didn't find it to be challenging. I was expecting it, of course. I knew that this book took place in an abusive reform school. Given that I read a fair amount of Indigenous literature, which frequently addresses the Indian Schools in North America, I wasn't overly shocked by anything here because, well, abuse is abuse. Still, some of the scenes were absolutely horrifying reading this.
I was enjoyably surprised by the structure of the book. While I guess you could say it was a dual-timeline book, it didn't read like all of the other dual-timeline books out there. This was a streamlined narrative that traversed time seamlessly.
Colson Whitehead is deserving of all the accolades he receives and I would like to offer this book up to those who read The Underground Railroad and, like me, thought that he "wasn't for them." Trust me, Whitehead should be read by everyone.
Oh boy, this book will crawl into your psyche, shake you, and then never leave.
I wasn't sure I would read this. The only other Colson Whitehead book I've read is The Underground Railroad, which did not work for me (in short: I had trouble following the narrative and staying engaged). Given that, I was somewhat expecting this to be a repeat performance. However, I settled in with this immediately and found it difficult to put down.
However, just because I found this book readable doesn't mean I didn't find it to be challenging. I was expecting it, of course. I knew that this book took place in an abusive reform school. Given that I read a fair amount of Indigenous literature, which frequently addresses the Indian Schools in North America, I wasn't overly shocked by anything here because, well, abuse is abuse. Still, some of the scenes were absolutely horrifying reading this.
I was enjoyably surprised by the structure of the book. While I guess you could say it was a dual-timeline book, it didn't read like all of the other dual-timeline books out there. This was a streamlined narrative that traversed time seamlessly.
Colson Whitehead is deserving of all the accolades he receives and I would like to offer this book up to those who read The Underground Railroad and, like me, thought that he "wasn't for them." Trust me, Whitehead should be read by everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Racism, and Forced institutionalization