Jason Mott is the author of two poetry collections and four novels. "Hell of a Book" received the National Book Award in 2021. Mott's writing is lyrical and disarming. It weaves two narratives together, an unnamed black author on his book tour and a young black boy from his hometown connected in magical encounters that relate the all too true depictions of murders of black youths and men of color. Our adult narrator informs us that his book, "... was supposed to be a love story." And, it is a love story. A story of parental love, a child's love for their parents, romantic love and a love for life. But, this story is trenched in grief, injustice and oppression. Mott's writing endears us early into Soot's story. Soot is the young boy who has mysteriously attached himself to the narrator. It appears Soot is invisible to everyone except for our narrator. Our narrator understands why Soot's mother taught her son to be invisible. He tells Soot, "She wanted to protect you. Being who we are...it's hard. We get shot or put in jail. It's all we know." The novel begins with Soot as a five-year old boy hiding in his parent's living room. His parents claim not to see their son and devise a plan to cook his favorite foods to entice him to return. When Soot laughing reveals himself "...his mother hugged him and the three of them danced and laughed and smiled like they never had before. In that moment, the worries that had always hung over their heads were suddenly gone. It was as though all three of them might suddenly levitate off of the floor." We are first introduced to our narrator as he flees naked through the hallway of a hotel to avoid the wrath of an outraged husband. He escapes into an elevator with an elderly lady with whom he converses and then with hotel staff, still in the buff. The humorous and enchanting beginnings give way to a conscientiousness of what it means to be growing up black in America. The writer/narrator is chastised by his driver who first praises his book and his gift for words, "But there wasn't anything about the Black condition in it. There wasn't anything about being black." The writer responds by questioning what that means, "Does that mean I can only ever write about Blackness? Am I allowed to write about other things? Am I allowed to be something other than simply the color of my skin?" Mott's novel is beautifully written and poignantly told. Soot's father had been meaning to have a heartfelt talk with his son before he was gunned down by an officer just running outside his home. His father intended to tell his son, "Treat people as people. Be color-blind. Love openly. Love everyone. You will be treated differently because of your skin. The rules are different for you. This is how you act when you meet the police. This is how you act growing up in the South. This is the reality of your world." "Hell of a Novel" is a powerful literary work that contends with the pervasive ugliness of the world drenched in blood. The dual narrations exude two omnipotent messages; love fully and, "Dark skin is a sin. Hell of an affliction."
No comments:
Post a Comment