whitneydaniell

by: Percival Everett
published: January 1, 2001
genre: Contemporary
280 Pages, E-Book
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Synopsis

Monk’s writing hasn’t satisfied him—or his readers—in a while, and he’s unsure of himself and where he sees his next book going. He has great ideas—concepts, rather—some disjointed and some more fleshed out. But when another book enters the literary atmosphere, We’s Lives in Da Ghetto, Monk (as the kids say) crashes out.

Following the death of his sister and the ailing health of his mother, he relocates to the Washington, D.C. area to care for her. Ultimately, he ends up writing a new book out of frustration. What’s meant to be a satirical take on African-American tropes and stereotypes begins to take on a life of its own. Writing under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, Munk slowly realizes that editors, critics, and his peers love his new book. It’s heralded as “a gutsy piece of work” and “just marvelous.” Except… Munk doesn’t see it that way, and he’s struggling to understand how something so blatantly satirical could be regarded as literary genius.

This interesting read follows Munk through his existential crises as he attempts to discover—or rather, identify—who he is in the world and who the world perceives him to be.

Character Summary

Thelonious “Monk” Ellison is a fiction writer and the youngest of his parents’ three children. He was raised in an upper-class neighborhood in Washington, D.C., with both his father and grandfather being doctors. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard and achieved mild success with his writing.

Monk has a skewed view of African-American relations in this country—especially when it comes to relatability and racism. At times, he desperately wants to be perceived as Black; at other times, he doesn’t want to be “too” Black. He experiences covert racism and microaggressions, but he’s also very judgmental and dismissive of other Black people whom he doesn’t regard as—what some would call—“good” Black. He constantly wrestles internally with questions about his race and how he shows up in the world.

My Thoughts

Before knowing anything about Percival Everett, I had already seen the film American Fiction, and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t know what I was getting into with the book, but I’ll admit—my perception was definitely skewed by the film. In this rare case, I actually think the movie was slightly better than the book. I know. Rare.

Also, I didn’t connect with Munk, which made it hard for me to connect with the story. I’ve never struggled with my identity or felt a desire to “fit in”—not that that’s exactly what this is—but my life experience is pretty removed from that kind of backstory, so the emotional connection wasn’t there for me. I just wanted Munk to go to therapy! Talk to someone about all his feelings and thoughts.

Speaking of feelings and thoughts: Munk is a true creative. He lives in his head a lot—and that part, I could definitely understand and relate to. He often drifts into worlds of his own creation, spinning up characters and stories in his mind, with dialogue from both literary and imagined figures. Any true creative would resonate with that side of him.

Personal note: One of my favorite things to do is people-watch and create entire lives for complete strangers. I’ll sit outside with a cup of coffee on a busy street—or at a popular café—and for every person who walks by, I’ll imagine a name, a life, a job, where they’re going, where they’ve been… everything. It’s actually pretty fun.

Back to Munk—he’s not a writer chasing accolades or awards. He writes what he’s curious about, often exploring disconnected topics that he somehow threads together through their intersections. Again, a true creative. But when his mother’s Alzheimer’s progresses and money starts to run low, he doesn’t turn down the publisher advances or the money for movie rights to his new book. And even that—doing it for the money, despite the cultural consequences—is part of the irony of the book. That’s the satire.

Final Verdict

I enjoyed the book, but I think my time with Mr. Everett might end here. We’ll see.