Reviews

An absolute slog of a book at the beginning if you have a history of childhood trauma and complex relationships with religious institutions. I put it down for a while and when I picked it back up I was possessed by it. Looking forward to reading more of his work.

gabalixy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ohgull's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

jbmorgan86's review against another edition

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2.0

This fairly short novel is very similar to James Baldwin’s life. John, the stepson of a preacher, wrestles with his identity, sexuality, and faith. In a church service, he has a vision where he appears before God. The church service is the frame of the narrative. While telling this story, Baldwin flashes back to tell the back stories of John’s father, mother, stepfather, and aunt. We learn that John’s holy roller father is a hypocrite who had a child out of wedlock but is also punishing his second wife for having a child out of wedlock.

Though the novel is fairly short, it took me awhile to get it through. It was not an enjoyable read to me. I appreciated the narrative technique (frame) but I really disliked Baldwin’s writing style: long paragraphs, extremely long chapters (three in nearly 300 pages), and quick, unclear transitions.

daniellehines's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

ono108's review against another edition

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5.0

This one often left me speechless. A connoisseur of language, Baldwin writes himself through emotions and settings that many of us would struggle to put words to. And yet he does it, sounding like a regal king all the while. The storyline truly blew me away - it did not go where I thought it would (get into the nitty gritty of the whole John/Elisha relationship) and instead dived into the conscience and lives of John’s mom, aunt and stepdad. I think by Baldwin forgoing the traditional way to tell a story of a forbidden love and instead exploring the backstory of John’s relatives and going deeeeep into John’s psyche with that last section, he tells a different and still effective type of story.

If there’s another thing this book does, it confuses my entire understanding of religion. I already knew the way religion has been so manipulated to subjugate slaves, but to see it in action and used against one’s child really messed me up. This is not a new concept but I suppose the way it was written was unforgettable to me and deeply unsettled a lot of feelings.

At the end of it all, exquisitely written and captivating. It makes you question, it makes you gasp, it makes you long for what could be with John and his future, and also the tragic past of his family members.

labeanorita's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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