A review by neenor
Another Country, by James Baldwin
4.0
I completely devoured this novel. From the first couple of pages, I could tell that I was getting into something good - and Baldwin does not disappoint.
Another Country is a very important book, set in a harsh environment during a period of high racial tension. There is foul language and gruesome acts, yet reading it almost 60 (!!) years after it was written somehow puts it into perspective, and kind of makes it less shocking? You start the book knowing that it is a tough world, so when the characters go through horrible experiences, you almost blindly accept it; you truly get the feeling that this is their reality.
The main thing I noticed about this book is the way that Baldwin created his characters. Each character is enormously flawed and easily dislikable, and reading from the perspective of a modern day feminist, some of the acts of Rufus and Vivaldo are utterly horrifying - yet despite these actions, I really felt for them. What I shared in my book group is that I think I sympathised with them because they were redeemed in the eyes of the other characters. For example, Rufus came off as an arrogant, chauvinistic pig - yet through the eyes of Ida, who worshipped the ground he walked on, you saw a gentle, protective older brother who would do anything for you. The way Baldwin wrote this and the way it affected my feelings towards the characters really interested me, as I am very character-driven in what I read. I wonder if I would have enjoyed the book as much if they didn’t have redeemable qualities?
Another Country is a very important book, set in a harsh environment during a period of high racial tension. There is foul language and gruesome acts, yet reading it almost 60 (!!) years after it was written somehow puts it into perspective, and kind of makes it less shocking? You start the book knowing that it is a tough world, so when the characters go through horrible experiences, you almost blindly accept it; you truly get the feeling that this is their reality.
The main thing I noticed about this book is the way that Baldwin created his characters. Each character is enormously flawed and easily dislikable, and reading from the perspective of a modern day feminist, some of the acts of Rufus and Vivaldo are utterly horrifying - yet despite these actions, I really felt for them. What I shared in my book group is that I think I sympathised with them because they were redeemed in the eyes of the other characters. For example, Rufus came off as an arrogant, chauvinistic pig - yet through the eyes of Ida, who worshipped the ground he walked on, you saw a gentle, protective older brother who would do anything for you. The way Baldwin wrote this and the way it affected my feelings towards the characters really interested me, as I am very character-driven in what I read. I wonder if I would have enjoyed the book as much if they didn’t have redeemable qualities?