The Known World
I just finished reading a book by Edward P. Jones called The Known World. It has to be one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read. The fascination lies in its unique setting, as well as its unique storytelling. First of all, the novel takes place in the South in pre-Civil War times, and follows the lives of a black landowner who owns black slaves. Second of all, the writing style is the most tangential I’ve ever read, where single paragraphs will begin with a boy and end 30 years later with his wife’s aunt. And yet, as tangential as the writing tends to be, the story is very fluid, I was never lost, and I don’t believe a single word is wasted or unimportant to the overall story.
The story mostly follows the life of a former slave, Henry, whose parents bought him out of slavery when he was a child. He grows up to own land himself, and eventually buys his first slave from the man who once owned him. This first slave, Moses, becomes the overseer on his plantation. In just several years time the plantation flourishes, Henry marries, and he owns more than 20 slaves.
But in his early 30s, Henry dies, leaving his wife behind to run the plantation. She ends up entrusting much of the responsibility to Moses, and from there the story takes a number of turns, mostly resulting in everything falling apart. There are other key characters in the story, including the sheriff; Henry’s former owner, Mr. Robbins; Henry’s freed parents; and the other slaves on the plantation. As Mr. Jones weaves his tale, the deepest and basest parts of our most common human traits are manifested in the various characters and the parts they play.
Another part of what makes this story so fascinating is that it is far from being wholly about racism. This is seen most clearly in the character of Henry himself. He’s just trying to make his way in the world, and as he attains wealth, owning slaves becomes a part of life, just like any other wealthy landowner in the South. Its just the way things were done. Slavery is not so much a white/black issue as it is a human heart issue.
I encourage you to read this novel if you get a chance. It really is extremely well and uniquely written, eloquently tackling a topic I imagine few authors would even attempt.
