Middle Passage
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Average rating5
Rutherford Calhoun, a newly freed slave and irrepressible rogue, is lost in the underworld of 1830s New Orleans. Desperate to escape the city’s unscrupulous bill collectors and the pawing hands of a schoolteacher hellbent on marrying him, he jumps aboard the Republic, a slave ship en route to collect members of a legendary African tribe, the Allmuseri. Thus begins a voyage of metaphysical horror and human atrocity, a journey which challenges our notions of freedom, fate and how we live together. Peopled with vivid and unforgettable characters, nimble in its interplay of comedy and serious ideas, this dazzling modern classic is a perfect blend of the picaresque tale, historical romance, sea yarn, slave narrative and philosophical allegory.
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i spent a lot of this feeling like our narrator was very contemporary in his speech. someone mentioned this might be because he was taught to read and write. i suppose! i enjoyed it, it was just different.
ultimately, i just wished there was a happy ending for literally anyone other than our narrator. it was so disappointing to learn that all but 3 children died in the tribe. i understand happy endings aren't always realistic, but rutherford got his after never establishing loyalty to anyone. i think, in this fictional world, we can allow for a few men and women to be spared and saved too.
it was surprisingly very funny at times. i think this, alongside Isadora, were the main elements that kept me going! It was a short read with beautiful writing and imagery. This was an assignment for class but I enjoyed it very much.
