By coincidence this is the second book in a row that I have read that had some connection to slavery and Africa. The author writes about a slave trying to escape from Georgia. The twist here is that the Underground Railroad is literal – and the book serves as a window into both historical events and also sort of a warped mirror into current racial issues in the United States.
My favorite moment of this book was when the main character, Cora, walks down a hidden staircase to catch her first view of a hidden station of the fictional Underground Railroad. It gave me the same odd heart flutter I get every time I am in a subway and a sudden slight breeze and far away squeal tells you that a train will soon emerge from the dark tunnel at the end of the platform. I really enjoyed every part of this book related to the literal railroad itself – it was an ingenious way to tie the book together.
There are plenty of books and movies on the horrors of slavery and this one also includes the horror, the despicable acts, the deep racism that was seen in even the most common daily situations. By using the journey along the Railroad as a way to survey different places and situations across the American south I think it did a good job of encapsulating a very wide and horrible situation and passing on this to a new generation without being shrill or maudlin.
The characters and locations were well written without being over-descriptive and there were times when a character or two reminded me of a contemporary person, and I wondered how often the author did that on purpose. With a re-read I might be able to find others that I had missed the first time.
On the other hand, the writing was not linear, which is fine with me, but it took a while to get used to the sudden jerky movements back and forth along the timeline. Sometimes I thought I had missed some pages but then later an explanation would come. I’m not sure why the author was trying to cause the sense of disorientation, but it did put me off. I’d have also liked to hear more about the fictional Underground Railroad itself. The writer has created this wonderful fiction and seamlessly hidden it in our real history, but I wanted to explore it more. Being as it is the title of the book, I had expected it to play a bigger part.
So overall I liked the book and it was a timely reminder of a chapter of American history that I don’t really think about much these days while living in another country. I hope that young Americans (of whatever race) have a chance to read this book and consider more about exactly what kind of foundation their nation was built on.
Next is Xi’an Famous Foods by Jason Wang. Spicy noodles and dishes from Western China!
