missjonesreads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
guinness74's review against another edition
4.0
This was not my favorite Whitehead book, but he’s such an outstanding writer with a total grasp of allegory and fluid turns of phrase that you can’t help but enjoy the reading experience. He manages the story of a town in search of a new name as well as the story of a ‘nomenclature consultant’ in search of…well, in search of meaning, I suppose. Engaging and thoughtful.
usuallykayla's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.25
THOUGHTS
- Fuck, I love Colson Whitehead as a writer—whatever he's describing is immediately so engaging, no matter how pedestrian, thanks to his endlessly inventive, ever-perfect, novel uses of imagery
- It's a story about words and language and their importance, which is immediately setting a high bar for its own structure and diction choices, but—so far—it hasn't failed in meeting the challenge. Just like the narrator has made his living on picking the right words, so too does Whitehead repeatedly demonstrate his own talent in choosing the right ones for telling his story
- For a story that came out in 2006, the discussion of brands and chains still feels remarkably relevant, if not more—important? insightful? The narrator takes solace in familiar logos and chains, largely due to his own role in coming up with those names, but even though Whitehead is rare to actually identify any of them (we've had an Admiral Java, and Outfit Outlet, but that's about it), the real-life analogs are ubiquitous enough that you don't need the names, or can make do with their substitutes, and still know exactly which sorts of industries they represent. Now, more prevalent than ever, it's telling that the narrator looks to them as a source of comfort when they are so often held up as alienating presences
- The narrator has a habit of assuming stories about people, places, situations based on little evidence—how much of that has to do with him hearing a name and moving straight to interpretation, and how much comes from his habit/profession of immediately needing to put a name (a story) to a product?
- Took me an embarrassingly long time to clock the relevance (in a story about names, no less) that the tech mogul who's taken over the town is named "Lucky" (and that our narrator is pointedly without a name.) (Also just noticed while skimming that the young doctor who operates on him later is "Doctor Miner.")
Spoiler
What's the deal with the stubbed toe? Is it just a vehicle for bringing Apex bandages more actively into the plot? There's clearly a psychological element, in that the narrator keeps stubbing it repeatedly, that his toe seems to go out of its way to get stubbed, that the pain leads him to walking out of the Identity Awards, that it gets amputated because of the infection from the work retreat, that he never attended to it properly but just hid it under a fresh bandage, that it's that reclusion he's emerging from at the start, that the pain doesn't properly go away at the very end, but. What is the deal with it? What's the correlation between that physical pain and the more abstract identity questions throughout the rest of the book? He makes a point of identifying that it's the one next to the pinky toe, which makes the whole thing even sillier, because it's not like that toe is sticking out or the likely first victim in a stubbing. Is the idea that it's not quite vestigial but still capable of causing immense pain and problems?Spoiler
After he slips and falls—that accident intercut with him collapsing after leaving the Identity Awards—there's a continuation of this thought about the "true names" of people and things, which he'd started earlier at the awards. Very telling of his emotional and mental state that the "true names" he bestows on his coworkers are reflective of their ugliest traits and sins. The corollary between Apex "hiding the hurt" and the names he gives things covering up their reality, or instead presenting a false oneSpoiler
There is something to be said about the women in the book—we have the nameless, unseen housekeeper (who does ultimately emerge victorious); the librarian, Beverly, who's clearly more interested in the Narrator than he is in her; his ex-girlfriend, Bridget, who seems like a placeholder and only really distinguishes herself in her efforts to follow up with him after he ends up in the hospital; and Regina, who is strong and capable and clearly the best (in every sense) member of the town council. Then again, it's not like anyone gets a particularly favorable impression, likely because we're dealing with a deeply cynical and unreliable narrator, so maybe this doesn't mean anything- I loved the whole third section—the evolution of this imagined town and the name changes it undergoes, denoted by letters of the alphabet; the resolution of the Goode and Field story; the housekeeper finally one-upping him; the chosen name for the town reflecting its truest history
FINAL IMPRESSION
No hesitation in calling Whitehead one of my favorite writers—just an unbelievably engaging and compelling way of describing even the most mundane scenes. It's not just his ability to capture the specifics of an environment, but to also convey its mood in really economic language. The plot was a little weird and surreal in the way his books can be—not to be all, "The curtains are blue" about it, but I definitely am going to keep thinking about the purpose of the stubbed toe—but also funny and clever, with insights about marketing and brands that feel more relevant than ever, 16 years later. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I read it. I'd read it again.
soleicolon's review
4.0
slow start. one of those books that really drags you along until the end of it, despite it being such a short one. the ending and the author’s writing itself makes up for the slow development of the plot though. I may try to read it again…
wunderbread384's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
patgamble's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
larebe's review against another edition
2.5
I like Whitehead’s work but this one never really grabbed me. Quick read, and some engaging concepts.
msjoanna's review against another edition
4.0
The narrator for the audiobook does an excellent read of this slim satire. Colson Whitehead has some things to say about consumer culture, about names, and about race and history. His ideas aren't fully formed in this book, resulting in moments where the plot ran thin. But there was so much to like here, including sparkling prose and truly funny moments that make me willing to forgive the book's flaws. Also, the audiobook runs at only about five hours, so it might have become tiresome had it continued too long, the book was able to get off stage before annoyance with the plot could overwhelm enjoyment of the ideas here.
a_copp's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Solid read overall but doesn’t compare to Whiteheads later works. Very witty and funny was a fun look at language, but just failed to keep me super engaged.
kcelena's review
4.0
A superb use of words and Whitehead effortlessly infused issues of race relations and gender dynamic through the entire story. I had a hard time getting really excited about the story though, the premise was interesting but the way it was told just didn't grab me. Still, anyone who can twist words in to such brilliant, unique sentences deserves 4 stars.