A review by kennethwade
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Coates has a strong writing style and lots of good ideas. I also appreciate his portrayal of slavery, which is sensitive and emotional but feels honest. The characters and plot are where this book falls very flat. I couldn’t make a list of personality traits for any of the characters, not even the first-person narrator Hiram. They feel very one-dimension and lifeless, which significantly reduces the connection of readers to them. The plot does little to make up for the lacking characters because it meanders and drags until it ultimately fizzles out, with no sense of climax or resolution. The Water Dancer feels like a really well-written outline of a story.
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