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A review by tasharobinson
Blackass by A. Igoni Barrett
4.0
I was expecting more of a metaphor in this Metamorphosis-esque story about a Nigerian man who abruptly wakes up white one day, but it's bluntly straightforward about its magical switchover, which is just a plot enabler. And the fact that the protagonist, Furo, still has black buttocks after the change feels significant, as a sign of how his origins still follow him when he abandons his past, but the author doesn't really touch on it except as a practical question involving skin-lighteners and sexual choices.
But the book is still a fascinating look at life, work, and especially language and culture in Nigeria, as the protagonist navigates being white, and all the social benefits that come with it. And it's an interesting character study, watching as he abandons his family out of a fear they won't understand, and goes on to use anyone he can to get ahead. There's a large sideline in the book about his sister, and how she becomes a social-media queen after going online to enlist help in finding her missing brother, and I wound up wanting her to become more relevant, and for the story to loop back to her and suggest some kind of closure or purpose in her arc. As it is, her story feels like a terrific short story inserted into the middle of this novel. The conclusion wasn't terribly satisfying — it's narrated by someone other than the protagonist, and we lose his POV as he makes some key decisions — but I still found this book mesmerizing in the "what could possibly happen next" way.
But the book is still a fascinating look at life, work, and especially language and culture in Nigeria, as the protagonist navigates being white, and all the social benefits that come with it. And it's an interesting character study, watching as he abandons his family out of a fear they won't understand, and goes on to use anyone he can to get ahead. There's a large sideline in the book about his sister, and how she becomes a social-media queen after going online to enlist help in finding her missing brother, and I wound up wanting her to become more relevant, and for the story to loop back to her and suggest some kind of closure or purpose in her arc. As it is, her story feels like a terrific short story inserted into the middle of this novel. The conclusion wasn't terribly satisfying — it's narrated by someone other than the protagonist, and we lose his POV as he makes some key decisions — but I still found this book mesmerizing in the "what could possibly happen next" way.