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

5.0

I was very interested to see how Ta-Nehisi Coates’s writing skill would translate to fiction--turns out, the answer is flawlessly. You haven’t read a slave narrative like this one. It’s not just about the story, although it’s compelling enough: Hiram Walker has a prodigious memory, but when his mother was sold and they were separated, all of Hiram’s memories of her disappeared. The day she was taken from him was also the day a strange power took hold in him, a power that might help him unlock the chains of slavery for himself and many others. Coates is so good at articulating the emotions behind historical facts we think we know. I’m judicious about the literary fiction I read these days, but this one is so, so good, it’s truly worth your time. Coates is an amazing talent.