Native Son by Richard Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Phew. This novel is exhausting. I needed to go for a run and have a drink after this unbearable tale of grief, hopelessness, ennui, and racism. Wright’s prose is sparse and philosophical, resulting in the sort of haunting, detached narration that makes this novel so successful. A great read for more cerebral folks; I will echo that the last third feels like Wright letting off political steam after the supercharged first two thirds of the narrative.
Jesse Rice-Evans 