Ta-Nehisi Coates’ first foray into fiction novels is a delightful success. Quickly establishing the setting, Coates immediately demonstrates the thought patterns of the main character through his first-person narrator who uses a fair bit of exposition to share his past.
Relationships that both exist and yet can never exist are one of the several themes throughout The Water Dancer. Coates deftly navigates the complexities of the relationship between Hiram and his father and confronts Hiram’s grief over his mother. The heart wrenching grief of broken and enslaved families is salient through the entire novel, and unabashedly explored from all directions.
Only the best authors can make bring magic into a book and convince the reader that it might be true, even if for a second. Ta-Nehisi Coates has proven himself to be among these gifted storytellers. Brilliantly taking the role of “Conductor” of the Underground Railroad to a new level, Coates empowers the imaginations of young readers, giving them new directions to dream and new stories to share.
In his entry to the imaginary novel, Coates assures his readers that their high expectations will be met regardless of the genre of his next work.
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ first foray into fiction novels is a delightful success. Quickly establishing the setting, Coates immediately demonstrates the thought patterns of the main character through his first-person narrator who uses a fair bit of exposition to share his past.
Relationships that both exist and yet can never exist are one of the several themes throughout The Water Dancer. Coates deftly navigates the complexities of the relationship between Hiram and his father and confronts Hiram’s grief over his mother. The heart wrenching grief of broken and enslaved families is salient through the entire novel, and unabashedly explored from all directions.
Only the best authors can make bring magic into a book and convince the reader that it might be true, even if for a second. Ta-Nehisi Coates has proven himself to be among these gifted storytellers. Brilliantly taking the role of “Conductor” of the Underground Railroad to a new level, Coates empowers the imaginations of young readers, giving them new directions to dream and new stories to share.
In his entry to the imaginary novel, Coates assures his readers that their high expectations will be met regardless of the genre of his next work.