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A review by mochagirl
Black & White by Lewis Shiner
4.0
I read Lewis Shiner's Black & White with no prior knowledge of him or his previous work; the short blurb from Publisher's Weekly piqued my interest enough to warrant a purchase and I was not disappointed. It has all the elements of a great suspense and mystery novel filled with insightful observations on America's complicated views on society, identity, and race relations.
The novel opens in Durham with Michael, an introverted illustrator, attending his terminally ill father, Robert, who has chosen to return North Carolina in preparation of his death. Michael openly pleads with his father to address lifelong questions he has had regarding his conflicting birth date, and his mother's (Ruth) over-attentiveness towards his father, yet perfunctory relationship with him. When Robert decides to elicit a deathbed confession of sorts, it leads to the discovery of a body of a local, outspoken Civil Rights activist who disappeared amid controversy nearly 40 years ago. Michael soon finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation, which only ignites the curiosity of his father's clandestine past. The trail leads him down a slippery slope into the recesses of Hayti, Durham's historically African American community, once the most prosperous neighborhood in the South, envied by whites but devastated under the Urban Renewal initiatives of yesteryear. In a series of flashbacks, Shiner gives life and voice to a youthful Robert and Ruth. The reader follows Michael on a deep dark path to the truth steeped in danger. Michael learns of the mysterious magnetism of a seductive voodooienne and a host of suppressed family secrets amid the backdrop of America's racial and political pallet during the turbulent 1960s.
I learned quite a bit reading this page-turning novel, thus it entertained and educated and that makes it a winner for me. I kept turning pages, making notes in the margins to follow the mystery, and googled to find out more about events and locations mentioned therein. A great book that has made my 2008 favorites list - one that is recommended to historical fiction and/or mystery/suspense fans.
The novel opens in Durham with Michael, an introverted illustrator, attending his terminally ill father, Robert, who has chosen to return North Carolina in preparation of his death. Michael openly pleads with his father to address lifelong questions he has had regarding his conflicting birth date, and his mother's (Ruth) over-attentiveness towards his father, yet perfunctory relationship with him. When Robert decides to elicit a deathbed confession of sorts, it leads to the discovery of a body of a local, outspoken Civil Rights activist who disappeared amid controversy nearly 40 years ago. Michael soon finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation, which only ignites the curiosity of his father's clandestine past. The trail leads him down a slippery slope into the recesses of Hayti, Durham's historically African American community, once the most prosperous neighborhood in the South, envied by whites but devastated under the Urban Renewal initiatives of yesteryear. In a series of flashbacks, Shiner gives life and voice to a youthful Robert and Ruth. The reader follows Michael on a deep dark path to the truth steeped in danger. Michael learns of the mysterious magnetism of a seductive voodooienne and a host of suppressed family secrets amid the backdrop of America's racial and political pallet during the turbulent 1960s.
I learned quite a bit reading this page-turning novel, thus it entertained and educated and that makes it a winner for me. I kept turning pages, making notes in the margins to follow the mystery, and googled to find out more about events and locations mentioned therein. A great book that has made my 2008 favorites list - one that is recommended to historical fiction and/or mystery/suspense fans.