Page & Author
REVIEW of Sons by Alphonso Morgan
February 2005
Light Out of Darkness
In the legendary novel Another Country, penned
by late literary giant James Baldwin, a downtrodden
character by the name of Rufus Scott opens the
story by making his way through New York City on
a mission: he is going to commit suicide on the
George Washington Bridge. His life is weighty and
disgusting, and to him of no further use. He is, by
his own assessment, so tired and fallen so low, that
he hardly has the energy to be angry–and can
barely lift his feet to shuffle his meaningless life to
its own death.
He remembers a beautiful time where everyone
knew him, when he was happy and in circulation,
and in love. That powerhouse Baldwin possessed
the literary moxie to kill off his intriguing protagonist
80-odd pages into the book is a testament to the
author's talent, because even after his suicide,
Rufus was so well written, he lives on through the
book to its conclusion.
A similar scene unfolds in Sons, Alphonso
Morgan's extraordinary debut novel, in which a
character, like Baldwin's Rufus, is considering
suicide–by hurling himself off the Brooklyn Bridge.
This character is also angry, stuck under the
heavy truths of his existence, and cannot see any
alternative but ending his life. He is in love, he is
not in love. He is ashamed of what he is, he is a
proud young man. He is naive, he is insightful. He
is indifferent, he is hopelessly passionate. He is
imprisoned by his own construction that is himself.
And is also imprisoned in Brooklyn.
Let it be said here and now that Sons is one of the
best debut novels of the year! And it is largely, if
not entirely, due to the overwhelming talent of
newcomer Alphonso Morgan. In an instant he has
single-handedly surpassed many contemporary
novelists with ease. How else does one account for
words bound together like lyrics, for symbolism so
well constructed and so colorful and insightful that
it is like attending a literary buffet? One is seduced
by Morgan's careful craft and fluid use of
vocabulary from the outset, the book reading like
one continuous thought, with intent and direction
and masterful execution.
Morgan does things the old-fashioned way, his
writing as tumultuous as Baldwin's, as mature as
Michael Cunningham's The Hours, and as dense
as Toni Morrison's Love. It is intelligent and
relentless. It is touching and engaging. One will pull
back from this book for the briefest of moments to
marvel that this is a debut novel. And although the
story takes place in the age of Hip-Hop, Morgan
sees fit not to dumb down his characters. For as
self-destructive as they are, they are also
analytical and heady.
Sons, however, is not without its issues. One is
slightly less enamored with the story of the novel
than the author's talent to convey it–particularly
the ending. The characters are all sturdy, as they
prowl in their mini-hells, and even Brooklyn itself
(Morgan's valentine) has a demeanor of its own,
bold and tough and beautifully described in its raw
realness.
The novel takes place in the New York borough,
and primarily follows the lives of unlikely lovers Sha
and Aaron through a tortuous summer. Morgan's
tightly controlled plot manages to hit a bump in the
last act by some things left unclear and the
introduction of a needless 11th hour character:
distracting, long-winded, and a betrayal of
Morgan's talent. Wisely, he returns to what he
does well by the close of the book.
Still, there are passages like: He had been fool
enough to believe that the shell he had always
supposed his life to be did not have to exist. That
the shatterproof husk of hiding and hunting and
raw longing unfulfilled was not a lie. That perhaps
there was a different kind of life for him now,
peopled not by the phantom attachments of his
youth, the fading best friends he had propped up
like scarecrows along the emotional thoroughfares
of his life, but by a real breathing heart-pounding
sturdy Sha.
With words like these, any missteps are easily
forgiven. While the satisfying and captivating Sons
will not be Alphonso Morgan's best book, it is a
great triumph when compared to other works
offered in recent memory. We should all be on the
lookout for Mr. Morgan's future endeavors. He is a
rising star, and should be embraced as literature's
next big thing. Baldwin would approve.
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