books 2016: Sag Harbor, by Colson Whitehead
Whitehead does a spot-on job of capturing the voice of this character Ben, a nerdy kid who doesn't quite fit in to any of his various worlds. The book is really funny, witty, well-written. In addition to capturing Benji's story as he navigates this pivotal summer, Whitehead also captures the feel of the African American Sag Harbor community: the feel of this place, at this specific time, really comes through. I was reminded of Eudora Welty's Delta Wedding, which also captures a very specific place and moment in time, and a set of characters on the edge of becoming someone else.
Downside to this book: the pace. It's a book about summer, so it has that slow summer feel, and for about half of this long novel, it feels like we're just setting up. Also, Ben as the narrator is reflecting on this summer from some future time, so he keeps hinting at a larger perspective, things that would happen to the characters down the line that aren't ever fleshed out because the focus is on THIS specific summer. Part of me didn't want that additional context because for the most part we ARE grounded in this summer, so that felt a little off to me. But the book overall was incredibly well done and the voice was smooth for the most part. Admittedly, I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read The Underground Railroad so recently. Highly recommended.
Downside to this book: the pace. It's a book about summer, so it has that slow summer feel, and for about half of this long novel, it feels like we're just setting up. Also, Ben as the narrator is reflecting on this summer from some future time, so he keeps hinting at a larger perspective, things that would happen to the characters down the line that aren't ever fleshed out because the focus is on THIS specific summer. Part of me didn't want that additional context because for the most part we ARE grounded in this summer, so that felt a little off to me. But the book overall was incredibly well done and the voice was smooth for the most part. Admittedly, I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read The Underground Railroad so recently. Highly recommended.