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A review by chrissie_whitley
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
5.0
"Even in a place of sorrow, time passes. Even in a place of joy."
It is, quite plainly put, an absolutely stunning novel. So many professional reviewers have noted that if this isn't a Great American Novel, then I don't know what is — a sentiment with which I can completely agree. What Jeffers has accomplished with this utterly engrossing, panoramic story is impressive and masterful.
Covering generations of several families, weaving in and out of each others' paths, Jeffers has penned a novel that relays so much pain alongside so much love. There's a genuine quality that is sharp and poignant. Jeffers does not deal in softening the blow; there are no silencers here. Each punch, each gunshot is impactful and loud — with a lasting reverberation felt through the entire the book.
"There was implicit, hushed violence in the brightly colored scene...."
Stylistically, Jeffers is in a storyteller mode. Even in the passages that are first-person narration, the delivery remains up and above the story itself. For me this was frustrating, especially for the first half of the book. This is a long book with a multitude of characters, covering hundreds of years. And what amounts to introductions covers a good portion of the first third, at least. So to be held at arm's length, when all I wanted to do was get to know everyone intimately, made for a slower and more deliberate reading experience. I felt very much as if I were chasing around an interviewee as she told me her and her family's story, throwing bits and pieces at me over her shoulder, all the while I struggle to keep pace.
However, looking back on this now, I cannot imagine how emotionally torn up I'd have been if that distance were not there. I don't think I could've taken some of those scenes any closer. Jeffers wins with her instincts and wisdom in this choice.
On a personal note, having driven past this iconic "Peach Butt" in Gaffney, South Carolina, that Jeffers mentions repeatedly in the present day storyline — I loved how it's used as a mile marker for her characters traveling down into Georgia. That rings so true and just drips with a realness that only comes from having known it, too.
This book is an investment — of your time, of your patience, of your emotions — and it pays off in ways that will stay with you long after you close the back cover.
It is, quite plainly put, an absolutely stunning novel. So many professional reviewers have noted that if this isn't a Great American Novel, then I don't know what is — a sentiment with which I can completely agree. What Jeffers has accomplished with this utterly engrossing, panoramic story is impressive and masterful.
Covering generations of several families, weaving in and out of each others' paths, Jeffers has penned a novel that relays so much pain alongside so much love. There's a genuine quality that is sharp and poignant. Jeffers does not deal in softening the blow; there are no silencers here. Each punch, each gunshot is impactful and loud — with a lasting reverberation felt through the entire the book.
"There was implicit, hushed violence in the brightly colored scene...."
Stylistically, Jeffers is in a storyteller mode. Even in the passages that are first-person narration, the delivery remains up and above the story itself. For me this was frustrating, especially for the first half of the book. This is a long book with a multitude of characters, covering hundreds of years. And what amounts to introductions covers a good portion of the first third, at least. So to be held at arm's length, when all I wanted to do was get to know everyone intimately, made for a slower and more deliberate reading experience. I felt very much as if I were chasing around an interviewee as she told me her and her family's story, throwing bits and pieces at me over her shoulder, all the while I struggle to keep pace.
However, looking back on this now, I cannot imagine how emotionally torn up I'd have been if that distance were not there. I don't think I could've taken some of those scenes any closer. Jeffers wins with her instincts and wisdom in this choice.
On a personal note, having driven past this iconic "Peach Butt" in Gaffney, South Carolina, that Jeffers mentions repeatedly in the present day storyline — I loved how it's used as a mile marker for her characters traveling down into Georgia. That rings so true and just drips with a realness that only comes from having known it, too.
This book is an investment — of your time, of your patience, of your emotions — and it pays off in ways that will stay with you long after you close the back cover.