The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle (2016)
Small book; large presence
Book cover blurb
People move to New York looking for magic and nothing will convince them it isn't there.
Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father's head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their cops. But when he delivers an occult tome to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic, and earns the attention of things best left sleeping.
A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break?
My Review
What a treat!
I bought this book blind, as a quick easy read for when I needed a little break from full-on novels. And to be honest I wasn't really expecting too much from it. But I'm happy to say I was quite wrong. This is a great little read.
Although this is a novella things don't feel like they're being rushed. And there's a lot of diversity in here, a number of different elements to get you thinking. Even though the story revolves around the downtrodden, the author manages to keep you upbeat while reading. The characters, especially because of the era it's set in, the 1920s, are very intriguing and I would have loved to get a lot more involved with their histories and personalities.
There is a major perspective shift in the middle of the book, and it gnawed at me when it happened, but I quickly got over it and actually found the story was probably better for it.
The one downside? I was left wanting more, a lot more. I think there's more than enough story, character and atmosphere here to make a very compelling full novel...or three.
My copy of this novel
Tor paperback edition.
Published in 2016
149 pages
ISBN 9780747202226