A review by robertrivasplata
Incognegro, by Mat Johnson

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Bleak murder mystery set in 1930s Mississippi. Depicts the horror of the racist regime of the time. I saw some of the twists coming, but not the one at the end. Overall, Incognegro felt very bleak, perhaps because of the current resurgence of proud white supremacists, nazis, what have you, or maybe just because of all the murders and lynchings going on in the story. In some ways, it reminded me of some of Cormac McCarthy Border Trilogy novels I've read, where someone goes to a place (usually Mexico) to right some sort of wrong, and ends up losing everything but still somehow surviving. The big difference is that unlike the McCarthy protagonists, the titular Incognegro isn't a fool, & isnt foolishly going on an adventure in Mexico, but is really going on “one last job” to to a place whose dangers he is familiar with.