One Man's Opinion: IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK by JAMES BALDWIN

 

I love it when a novel really ramps up the emotions. If Beale Street Could Talk does that in so many different ways. It's constantly nipping away at your insides as you read, then takes out huge chunks with bites that will no doubt leave permanent scars (or at least I hope they do, given the stories told). 

This one pulls in so many different ways. And it doesn't pull its punches. 

Fonny and Tish are young lovers. Early on, we discover that Tish is pregnant with Fonny's child and that Fonny is currently behind bars, charged with the rape of a woman in the neighbourhood. Much as the struggle to get Fonny out of prison is the core of the plot, the stories that emanate from that centre are diverse:we get to examine both sets of families and their reactions to what is going on; we find out about how the couple got together in the first place and how the baby is conceived; we discover things about the community, warts and all; and we get to observe friendships and social tensions. No matter which way the slice is cut, there are overriding pressures that influence everything. The racism is intense, visceral and overpowering, the surges against it almost futile (there's something in the fight that reminded me of Ellison's Invisible Man, a reference that tells you that I need to read more widely). There's religious bigotry and digs at religious fundamentalism. It has homophobia and sexism. Institutionalised prejudice takes a kicking and economic exploitation is clearly on display. Also included is domestic violence, doled out by heavy-handed men on their wives. And all of this is important, for it's only by drawing attention to each of these facets that thinking can be done and changes made, for this is very much a book about rising up against oppression and injustice wherever it may be found.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, though it wasn't all plain sailing. There's a real mix of time and place and it occasionally took me a moment to readjust and work out where I was. The tenses and voice occasionally stumbled, perhaps because they were trying to run too fast at times. There are also a lot of commas and that sometimes got in the way. That being said, I always found the groove again, partly because I was so driven to get to whereever it was going. 

If Beale Street Could Talk has the passion of the best love stories, the tension of the finest crime dramas and all the anger and turbulence that it needs. 

Definitely one to get your hands on and digest. Quality stuff.