I am not completely certain that I understood everything
Colson Whitehead had to say in The
Intuitionist, his debut and critically acclaimed novel published back in
1998. I listened to Terry Gross interview Whitehead on her Fresh Air radio program when he released his latest novel, Zone One, about humans battling zombies in lower Manhattan. Not really my genre,
but Whitehead sounded funny and smart and I suspected the book was not
primarily about zombies. After the interview, I looked up an essay he had
written on the sportsand pop culture blog Grantland about competing in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The essay confirmed what the interview suggested, that
Whitehead is complex, insightful, funny, evocative, all those things that good
writers must be.
For Christmas, my in-laws gave me a copy of The Intuitionist. Engrossing, unexpected,
complex, entertaining – yes, yes, yes, and yes. I finished this book a while
ago and still wonder what it was about. On one level, it’s about intrigue
within the elevator industry in what seems to be New York City in the late
1950s. Rival factions (the Empiricists and the upstart Intuitionists) battle
for control of the city elevator inspectors’ union. The
two major elevator manufactures have picked sides. All interests are racing to
discover the mysterious invention of a recently deceased academic (and
spiritual leader of the Intuitionist school), an invention that promises to revolutionize
not only the elevator industry but the structure of the modern city. Thugs
whose allegiances and motives remain ambiguous, have targeted a young elevator
inspector named Lila Mae Watson, an Intuitionist who is second black inspector
and the first black woman inspector in city history.
On another level, The
Intuitionist is an allegory about race and America. I think. Not completely sure. Nevertheless, the novel is
smart with sufficient twists and detours to keep you engaged whether it’s about
elevator wars or race relations. So if you stay up sipping Irish whiskey while reading
this book late into the night, stop reading after the second glass or plan to
do some rereading. Lesson learned. In the novel, alliances change and motives shift.
Watson, tough, smart, quirky, and extremely competent, struggles to discover
why she has been thrust into the conflict (the upcoming union election and search for the
mysterious “black box”) while also discovering who, if anyone, she can trust. Intrigue
ensures.
Whitehead has a unique and provocative voice. I am anxious to work my way through more of
his work. I’m even tempted to give the zombie novel a go.
RCM
RCM
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