Coates is a beautiful writer. For the writing alone, this book is a nice read. However, Coates has written, to-date, just nonfiction, except for this one---this being his 1st foray into fiction. This book lost its steam in the 2nd half. It started out solid, had engaging characters and action. Then...it became more of a book about a journey, and we learn a lot about the inner lives of "the tasked" (slaves). The magical realism is interesting. Called "conduction," it's quite the spin on the mechanics/ops of the Underground Railroad. I think Coates should've told us the time period in which this takes place. Eg, how long before the Civil War? I found this lack of context odd.
At 75% into the book, I decided not to finish, because the narrative evaporated, and a lack of long-term goals for the protagonist (eg, what was he working toward?). The audiobook is 14 hours. I stopped at 11 hours, and had been pushing through about 2 to 3 hours of it. Do I recommend this book? Yes and no. I think it works for fans of Coates' beautiful writing. Just don't expect a page turner.
No comments:
Post a Comment