This story wasn't quite what I was expecting. From the blurbs I expected more of a focus on the relationship between a drug dealer and the man who shot him. This is more of a story about the daily life and interactions of a low-income black community in NYC in the 1960s just before crack landed and the war on drugs tore these communities apart. Members of my book club said the book made them think of a kinder version of the tv show "The Wire."
I liked the characters but did not enjoy the writing style and some of the choices McBride made. In my opinion, this read like a debut novel. There were too many characters with names and a little bit of detail introduced but then no real place in the plot. Many of the conversations were repetitive to boredom. When some characters started talking to each other, I started skimming over. The ending could have been an interesting surprise but was revealed to the audience really early on. By the time we got to the characters realizing what we already knew, I was pretty ready for the story to just end.
I did enjoy the slapstick humor of several of the scenes and a few of the more fleshed out characters. This is not a book I would pick up again.
I liked the characters but did not enjoy the writing style and some of the choices McBride made. In my opinion, this read like a debut novel. There were too many characters with names and a little bit of detail introduced but then no real place in the plot. Many of the conversations were repetitive to boredom. When some characters started talking to each other, I started skimming over. The ending could have been an interesting surprise but was revealed to the audience really early on. By the time we got to the characters realizing what we already knew, I was pretty ready for the story to just end.
I did enjoy the slapstick humor of several of the scenes and a few of the more fleshed out characters. This is not a book I would pick up again.