Deacon King Kong (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel

I loved reading about this multi-cultural community and the quirky yet believable characters who live there. Sportcoat was a flawed but sympathetic protagonist. I was rooting for him and his friends. The plot kept me wondering and reading.

Set in the Cause Houses of Brooklyn in 1969, this is a slice-of-life tale. I've never been to this place or at this time before, but it seems less strange now. McBride has a great ability to weave a story while preventing too much confusion between the numerous characters and plot points. But beyond the three intertwining and tangling of individual lives over time, what is life? At the end, there is a satisfying resolution. And when I consider the tale, I am struck by how foolish lying is in every circumstance. Over all this was one of the best book that I had ever read.

This is a slice of life story set in the Cause Houses of Brooklyn 1969. A time and location completely unfamiliar to me, but now a little bit less foreign. McBride can definitely spin a narrative and keep the many characters and lines of action from tangling overmuch. But what is life, other than three mingling and tangling of individual lives over time? The resolution at the end is satisfying. And as I think about the story, I am struck by the folly of dishonesty in all situations.

The characters in DKK are vivid and real; the unique names and interrelatedness exemplifies how neighborhoods used to be personified as a be a member of one’s family. The novel takes off after Chapter 5 as the characters’ purpose become evident.

I liked it. It was a slog though.