Author: Jamel Brinkley
Publisher: Graywolf Press
Blurb: In the nine expansive, searching stories of A Lucky Man, fathers and sons attempt to salvage relationships with friends and family members and confront mistakes made in the past. An imaginative young boy from the Bronx goes swimming with his group from day camp at a backyard pool in the suburbs, and faces the effects of power and privilege in ways he can barely grasp. A teen intent on proving himself a man through the all-night revel of J’Ouvert can’t help but look out for his impressionable younger brother. A pair of college boys on the prowl follow two girls home from a party and have to own the uncomfortable truth of their desires.
Jamel Brinkley’s stories, in a debut that announces the arrival of a significant new voice, reflect the tenderness and vulnerability of black men and boys whose hopes sometimes betray them, especially in a world shaped by race, gender, and class―where luck may be the greatest fiction of all.
Me: This is the first short story collection I've savored and adored (and possibly the first that I made it all the way through). It's delicate but unapologetic and so incredibly written.
The Ups: More than anything, the characters in this book are stunning. I felt like I understood each one as well as if I'd read a novel about them - how that amount of detail and complexity was condensed into short stories I will never know. There's such a wide range of age and personality and also likability in the characters and yet there's something striking about all of them.
The complexity was even more wonderful because the stories offer narratives about black men that go against the popular, toxic narrative. The collection shows how fluid and diverse the experiences of black men are in America while also dealing with the subconscious and psychological impacts of living in a society that seems to constantly paint you in a certain way.
But social activism isn't the book's goal, and that's what makes it even better. Instead of pushing ideas about freedom and identity, it subtly deals with them, while also showing the quirks of each character and place. The stories are beautiful not only because they are breaking down the stereotypes but also because they're just beautifully written. I loved that though there was tragedy and trauma in the stories, there was something hopeful in their vitality. There were lines where I actually gasped or took a pause to admire. There were lines so quiet yet meaningful that I'm still thinking through them.
Speaking of meaningful lines, the last lines of every single one of these stories are just unbelievable. Each ending is sculpted so perfectly - they left me speechless for a second, but then a wave of thoughts and emotions would come after, keeping me glued to the pages. My personal favorites were "J'ouvert," "No More than a Bubble," and "Clifton's Place."
The Downs: I think the only possible down would be that I definitely felt some stories were stronger than others, but I think that also means there's at least one story here for everyone. I could relate and understand certain characters more, but I think when I revisit these stories (because I definitely will) I'll find something new.
Overall: Every story introduces a new world and life that is so vivid and poignant - such an honest, entrancing book.
Side note - Jamel was actually my teacher at the Iowa Young Writers Studio!! It's the first time I'm reviewing a book by a teacher haha but I promise this book is objectively INCREDIBLE. Go Jamel !!
"It has been that way with people in my life, with people I have loved: a fine dispersal, a rupture as quiet as two lips parting, a change so sudden one morning, so slight, you wonder if they had ever been beautiful at all."
"None of us deserves to be loved, he thought, and so all of us should be."
Rating: 5 kisses!
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