A review by kari_f
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

3.0

“Look at me! Look at me!” I said. “Everywhere I’ve turned somebody has wanted to sacrifice me for my good—only they were the ones who benefited. And now we start on the old sacrificial merry-go-round. At what point do we stop? Is this the new true definition, is Brotherhood a matter of sacrificing the weak? If so, at what point do we stop?”

This was a book that I struggled to read and that I’m struggling to review. Packed to the brim with symbolism and cultural significance, I can see why the themes were relevant at the time of writing and remain relevant today. The book covers topics that include race relations and racial inequality (and how those compare and contrast based on the region), the problem with staunch ideologies over the needs of people, systemic oppression, police brutality, tokenism, and the viewing of groups of people as objects or the subjects of voyeuristic whims rather than autonomous humans.

On the other hand, there are some aspects of the book that made it really difficult for me to like. The social commentary sometimes feels heavy handed, and the plot seems secondary to the message. Not that this is bad in and of itself, but the book is around 600 pages and the writing often feels clunky, to the point where it feels like the actual writing was secondary to the commentary. There were also a few huge plot points that involved some pretty terrible ordeals happening that are never really condemned, and it almost feels like said actions were condoned because of this. It might be that I was so put off by the ick factor of them and was hoping for a condemnation that never came.

I felt quite connected to the book toward the beginning, but it felt like it unraveled for the next few hundred pages, and then it picked up again at the end. I knew it wouldn’t necessarily be an enjoyable read given the subject matter, but feeling disconnected enough that I didn’t want to read it for about half of the book was disappointing.

It’s definitely a thought-provoking read, but it’s one I don’t see myself ever revisiting.
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