The Underground Railroad in Overdue Podcast

Aug 03, 2017 Chandler rated it did not like it

Shelves: audiobook, historical-fiction, standalone-fiction, libby, adult-fiction, 301-499pgs, 1-star

I think that it is safe for me to say that this author’s writing style was simply not for me. I began “The Underground Railroad” with high hopes. I had read “The Invention of Wings” earlier in the year, and was very disappointed by it. So, when I saw that this book was available on audio, I jumped at the chance to read about a book that, surely, was going to be the superior of the two. Sadly, this book was a huge disappointment with regard to both historical accuracy, and a detached writing styl I think that it is safe for me to say that this author’s writing style was simply not for me. I began “The Underground Railroad” with high hopes. I had read “The Invention of Wings” earlier in the year, and was very disappointed by it. So, when I saw that this book was available on audio, I jumped at the chance to read about a book that, surely, was going to be the superior of the two. Sadly, this book was a huge disappointment with regard to both historical accuracy, and a detached writing style.

Whitehead works to make a story about the Underground Railroad, as a slave named Cora attempts to find her way north. The only trick here, is that the underground railroad is literally a railroad that is underground, complete with trains and tracks. “Okay…” I thought, “Well, that’s...different”. Now, don’t misunderstand me, as much as I am a amature historian, I am willing to let some things go in terms of historical accuracy if the characters are any good (they are not, but we’ll get to that later) this point however, just seems silly. Often, when the railroad does show up, it just seems like a little kid asked about if Thomas the Tank Engine had transported slaves north to freedom. This also does a major disservice to those people who risked their lives and their freedom for former slaves. What about Harriet Tubman, arguably one of the most famous people who helped lead former slaves to relative safety in the north? What about all of the other countless people who risked everything to help those former slaves? It seems like a disservice with how Whitehead describes the railroad, especially since the characters are not very well developed.

And that, for me, is an important part of the story. I can usually forgive elements of a story being historically inaccurate if I can identify with the characters. Here, however, Whitehead does nothing of the sort. He uses a 3rd person narrative POV, which further distances the reader from the story, but what really hurts my ability to identify with Cora is the cold, detach writing style. It is as separate and clinical as a history textbook, with long passages of the reader being told what happened with relatively little dialogue. As I have always said, showing is better than telling. It adds detail and strength to writing. Using a 1st person POV here would have helped immensely in this regard, but Whitehead does not do this. Even with the writing he has here in 3rd person, the characters are extremely underdeveloped, with people getting a passing mention and a few scant details...even our main characters. This was something that did not help me, as I slogged my way through the novel.

As I read all of the praises of this multiple award winning book, I am in envy of those people who loved it. I can somewhat understand all of the symbolism that one sees with different towns and cities that Cora visits, but just because you fit many literary devices into your book, doesn’t mean it is a good one. I give this book a one out of five. Not only is this book not historically accurate to the point of being simply ludicrous, but the detached writing style made me more angry with the writing itself, than the anger I was supposed to feel at the slaveholders (aka antagonists) in the book. When your novel does that, it is clearly doing something wrong. ...more

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Jul 28, 2020 Evan rated it really liked it

It took me about 70 pages to finally get my footing, but once I did I was drawn in by the momentum of the story. The pace ebbed and flowed like waves on the shorline receding quickly with the tide. I enjoyed the writing style immensely - it had impact and was unique and profound without being obtuse. Once I emotionally recover, I'm sure I'll read more of Colson Whitehead's work. Judging by this novel, he is clearly held in high esteem for good reason. ...more

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Feb 21, 2021 Shira Baharin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If anyone needed convincing of the horrors of slavery, this would be the book to do it. Interestingly the blacks aren't the only ones to suffer, highlighting the ills that befall society as a whole whenever any group of people is treated as less than human. There are some interesting parallels to the Holocaust, and overall the author is successful in creating characters that you can root for and empathise with, so that the tragedy that befalls them hits you hard.

My only quibble with this book is ...more

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