The Sellout

My awareness of African-American history is presumably far beneath that of the target audience for this book - I know enough to recognise a good few of the historical events it's satirising, but I'm sure there were references I simply don't have the background knowledge for. Still, from my position of ignorance, I really enjoyed it.

The plot is outrageous. A lot of reviews of this book use that word, and it's totally apt. The plot is ridiculous, but it carries, it works. There's also a lot of gold in there that's not social commentary. The end of the first chapter genuinely gave me shivers. There's a sentence at the start of chapter three that I smirked at the start of, laughed at the middle of, and then I felt my face fall in horror before the end.

But goodness me, it sure is cutting and funny, too. Christ, that opening line: “This may be hard to believe, coming from a black man, but I've never stolen anything.” Woah! OK so we're addressing those stereotypes full on, then!

All in all: hilarious, and shocking, and humbling.