Favourite book so far. The first section of the book where José describes the alley was the most impactful to me. There is a strong sense of imagery and I think the setting is very well built. This section is also the most brutal in a lot of ways, the beating of the children in black shack alley was hard to read. As I was reading this first section I was imagining José to be 11 or 12 years old, but it is revealed that he was only 6 or 7 at the time, which made me emotional. 6 or 7 is so tiny, and even though the narrator is of course older, he was describing his perception of the world at that time with so much fear and pain. Of course, the time in black shack alley is also filled with love, especially with the beautiful connections he seems to have with his community, but the way of life felt so much more grim than it should be for a child that small.
Both Mr. Méduoze’s and M’man Tine’s death hit me hard. I was balling. There is something so beautiful about the connection you have in early childhood, and the book captured José’s childlike pure admiration really well. I think the connections feel especially real since José ties tangible things to his memories of them, and these things hold fondness when he looks back. Like the stories and songs of Mr. Méuoze, and all the Casava flour his grandmother worked so hard to feed him.
The contents of the book is beautiful and complicated. Knowing it is autobiographical, and knowing some of the history of Martinique, places it in a bigger picture of a horrific shameful history. I think the book speaks well for itself, José doesn’t declare pride in his life, he seems to even feel some regret and as if he has left M’man Tine and black shack alley behind.
But he takes pride in telling their story.
I was glad to have read the book. It shows me a sliver of a particular time and place I would otherwise not be able to access had I not read this story. And I think this is a time and place that should be shared, I am glad Joseph Zobel shared it.
I also appreciate the sharing of the small intricacies of José’s life, like Carmen’s escapades with mulatto women, the shenanigans José gets up to in black shack alley, and José and Jojo’s day on the merry-go-round. I find in media where the focus is on oppressed people, especially when white people are creating that media, the oppressed people are made out to be nothing more than their suffering, and hence, are dehumanized. However, this book, despite the heavy and important subject matter, felt the most human of the ones we have read.