A for admiration

I can’t say that I loved Big Machine, but I have great admiration for its author, Victor LaValle, and his decision to construct a narrative that is original, engaging, and surprising.  I haven’t read anything like it, didn’t realize it was (sort of) sci-fi, and love that the cast included black folks who don’t often get to play the hero in literary fiction.  I’m not sure I can actually summarize the bizarre plot, but the very ordinary tone and realism of the book are actually what makes it so easy to follow—I liked Ricky Rice, even though I knew he was a heroin addict and claimed to have killed his big sister.  His peers—the Unlikely Scholars—all have skeletons in their closets, and they’re all black folks we’d normally see as pathological and/or pathetic.  But they’re summoned to Vermont and assigned the important task of tracking The Voice…here’s where my summary breaks down.  Let’s just say there are cults, angels, terrorists, fanatics, and feral cats.  You have to read it to believe it!  There were moments when I asked myself, “Why did he go there?”  And when I first picked up the book, I was reminded of Colson Whitehead—which wasn’t a good sign, since I’ve only finished one of his books.  But Ricky’s a home-schooled junkie, he’s deliberate, self-reflexive, and even humane.  Oh—and he winds up pregnant.  Just give this book a chance!