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The Man In My Basement

Overall Rating Rating 4  |  1 reviews
Today $11.13
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Item #: 3280179
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    Charles Blakey is a black man descended from a line of free American blacks that can be traced back all the way to the 17th cent...more

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Charles Blakey is a black man descended from a line of free American blacks that can be traced back all the way to the 17th century. Charles lives in the house that has been in his family for generations, but, having lost his job, he is behind on his mortgage payments and fears he might lose the place. Then a white man named Anniston Bennet approaches him with an unusual offer: he will pay Charles to lock him in his basement for the entire summer. Not fully understanding why Anniston would want such a thing, but needing the money, Charles agrees to the request. Although Charles is determined not to get involved in Anniston's situation, he finds himself drawn into the man's life--and comes to see Anniston as a prototype--a symbol of the elusive world of white people. Anniston, however, is far from typical. He is, rather, a man whose life is full of dark secrets--secrets he feels a need to share with Charles. As the long summer progresses, both Charles and Anniston explore the meanings of punishment, redemption, power, race, and humanity in the United States.

Author:
Mosley, Walter
ISBN:
9780316159319
Format:
Paperback
Pages:
249
Publish Date:
02/02/2005
Publisher:
Back Bay Books

Portions copyright 2005 Muze Inc. All rights reserved.

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Overall Rating: 4

Most Recent Reviews

  • Interesting

    I read this book a while ago, so I do not remember all the details but I do remember enjoying it and finding it to be a bit of a departure for the author from his usual story line. I am a huge Walter Mosley fan and have read every book he has written so I may be biased, but I believe if nothing else you will find the story interesting and well told.

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  • Even in his genre fiction, which includes mysteries (the Easy Rawlins, Fearless Jones and Socrates Fortlaw series) and SF (Blue Light, etc.), Mosley has not been content simply to spin an engrossing action story but has sought to explore larger themes as well. In this stand-alone literary tale, themes are in the forefront as Mosley abandons action in favor of a volatile, sometimes unspoken dialogue between Charles Blakey and Anniston Bennet. Blakey, descended from a line of free blacks reaching back into 17th-century America, lives alone in the big family house in Sag Harbor. Bennet is a mysterious white man who approaches Blakey with a strange proposition-to be locked up in Blakey's basement-that Blakey comes to accept only reluctantly and with reservations. The magnitude of Bennet's wealth, power and influence becomes apparent gradually, and his quest for punishment and, perhaps, redemption, proves unsettling-to the reader as well as to Blakey, who finds himself trying to understand Bennet as well as trying to recast his own relatively purposeless life. The shifting power relationship between Bennet and Blakey works nicely, and it is fitting that Blakey's thoughts find expression more in physicality than in contemplation; his involvements with earthy, sensual Bethany and racially proud, sophisticated and educated Narciss reflect differing possibilities. The novel, written in adorned prose that allows the ideas to breathe, will hold readers rapt; it is Mosley's most philosophical novel to date, as he explores guilt, punishment, responsibility and redemption as individual and as social constructs. While it will be difficult for this novel to achieve the kind of audience Mosley's genre fiction does, the author again demonstrates his superior ability to tackle virtually any prose form, and he is to be applauded for creating a rarity, an engaging novel of ideas. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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