The pressure was on when Ta-Nehisi Coates announced he was releasing his first novel. Coates is best known as a writer of political and social essays on race and class in America and his two prior nonfiction books, BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME and WE WERE EIGHT YEARS IN POWER have solidified his position as a great writer of our time. The question I asked going into this was, can his skills in essay writing translate to fiction? Many other writers write across both fiction and nonfiction, why not he?

I didn't have clear expectations of what I though Coates's first offering to fiction writing would be but I did not expect a slave narrative nor elements of magical realism. THE WATER DANCER tells the story of Hiram Walker, a young man born into slavery to a 'Tasking' mother and a 'Quality' father. Hiram has an extraordinary memory and when pushed to the limits of his life, this memory unlocks an even more amazing gift that is the key to not only his freedom but the freedom of everyone he loves.

Although very important, slave narratives are always difficult to read. Yet Coates excels in his skilfulness as a writer by not only expounding on the physical atrocities but by digging into the depth of the philosophy behind slavery and the way in which it dehumanised both the slave and the slave owner-albeit in drastically different ways. Those in captivity wear a mask to protect themselves from the slave owners and, in some cases, from each other. The owners wear a mask to disguise their own weaknesses and the part of them that rips families apart and is even able to sell their own children in the name of industry.

In the known manner that has won him all the accolades, Coates taps into the inner workings of the human psyche and the complex motives of those that fought to continue the abomination of slavery and those that fought to end it, all the while reminding the reader of the real people, lives and families that suffered for so long.

I will say, however, that I didn't warm to Hiram. I wasn't able to fully invest in his story. I know Hiram held all the power but I'm interested in Thena's story or even Sophia's. I also wasn't completely sold on the magical realism aspect. Especially with who Coates chose to make Hiram's mentor. I would have preferred a completely fictional character (hint, his mentor is a real historical person) as part of me felt that the magical aspect undermined the true dangers members of the underground railroad faced. But that's just me.

Overall, I was really happy with this book and I'm excited for more novels from Coates.