Engaging for those willing to look beneath the story

Unfamiliar with the author, I had no idea what I was about to encounter especially where a rather unique epilogue is concerned. Fred Daniels is a black man whose pregnant wife is about to give birth and gets hauled in by racist police for a murder in spite of his innocence. As luck would have it, he manages to flee underground to the city's network of sewers. What he discovers takes the reader on a journey into his mind, thoughts and innermost being. Richard engages the reader with a plot that at first seems predictable, but soon after become otherwise due to use of theme and metaphor. Eighty percent through the book, the story segues to memories of the author's grandmother which are linked to the story's creation. This is extremely rare and the shift from colloquial language to that of a highly educated author is something to behold. Having read thousands of books this is the first where this is done and well worth considering since it enlightens the reader to no end. Evidently it was originally an essay that became this short novel which demonstrates his skill in writing. I'll be reading his other books, needless to say! ( )

The imagery of the central, underground, section with its immediacy of experiences in absurd materialism or material absurdity is quite haunting. For me the decoupling of the 3 sections with very different rhythms weakens the overall impact, but makes sense in light of the attached essay about the genesis of the novel. ( )

Very intense, powerfully-written allegory of the black man's dilemma. The hero/anti-hero of the piece is so wound up in guilt by association that he begins to be guilty through his actions and, moreso, through his self image. I need to re-read Native Son. ( )