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A review by gravedavis
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've never read Ellison and had no context to this novel or its themes before picking it up ages ago. There were some things that really worked for me here, and some that really didn't. The nameless main character felt authentic in his motivations and voice - there was an intimate connection between him and the reader as we walked through his life together. The exploration of race & its role in American society was poignant all too relevant in today's social climate.
However, the pacing and prose were such a struggle for me to get through. I typically read a book of this length in a week or so, but this book was read on and off again over the course of several months. I'd pick it up, read 50-100 pages, then put it down to read something else. Rinse and repeat every few weeks. The language is dense - I will give credit and say that the world building and character development were stunning! But when surrounded by so much dense exposition, it made it a lot harder for me to stay invested or engaged in our protagonist's plight.
This novel tells an important story and I understand why it is revered as such a classic. It unpacks a lot of deep woven issues within our society and how everyone functions in the systematic dismantling of power for people of color. That being said, reading pages and pages of monologuing and brooding in a gloomy setting just wasn't engaging for me. I felt disconnected from the text and at points just crawling to the end. Would consider revisiting as an audiobook to see if that changes my mind, but as of now, this book was just far too slow to leave any lasting impression.
However, the pacing and prose were such a struggle for me to get through. I typically read a book of this length in a week or so, but this book was read on and off again over the course of several months. I'd pick it up, read 50-100 pages, then put it down to read something else. Rinse and repeat every few weeks. The language is dense - I will give credit and say that the world building and character development were stunning! But when surrounded by so much dense exposition, it made it a lot harder for me to stay invested or engaged in our protagonist's plight.
This novel tells an important story and I understand why it is revered as such a classic. It unpacks a lot of deep woven issues within our society and how everyone functions in the systematic dismantling of power for people of color. That being said, reading pages and pages of monologuing and brooding in a gloomy setting just wasn't engaging for me. I felt disconnected from the text and at points just crawling to the end. Would consider revisiting as an audiobook to see if that changes my mind, but as of now, this book was just far too slow to leave any lasting impression.