I had high hopes diving into this one, but, regrettably, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. I really wanted to enjoy this book, knowing Whitehead’s reputation for brilliant storytelling, but it just didn’t click for me this time around.

One of the main issues I had was keeping track of the sheer number of characters and the somewhat scattered timeline. The narrative jumped around enough that I found myself losing concentration more often than not, which made it difficult to get fully invested in the plot.

There are definitely glimmers of Whitehead’s exceptional writing throughout—his portrayal of Harlem and the intricacies of the 1960s offer a vivid backdrop—but I just couldn’t keep up with the overall rhythm of the story.

It’s a real shame because I know there's a great story hiding in there for someone who can follow the flow better than I could. If you’re a fan of character-rich, multi-layered narratives, you might find it more rewarding than I did. For me, though, it was just a bit too hard to follow. 

Maybe I will try again when I’m not so burnt out