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Sag Harbor: A Novel : Horror Book Reviews
Title: Sag Harbor: A Novel
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Author: Colson Whitehead
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Review of Sag Harbor: A Novel
The warm, funny, and supremely original new novel from one of the most acclaimed writers in America
The year is 1985. Benji Cooper is one of the only black students at an elite prep school in Manhattan. He spends his falls and winters going to roller-disco bar mitzvahs, playing too much Dungeons and Dragons, and trying to catch glimpses of nudity on late-night cable TV. After a tragic mishap on his first day of high school—when Benji reveals his deep enthusiasm for the horror movie magazine Fangoria—his social doom is sealed for the next four years.
But every summer, Benji escapes to the Hamptons, to Sag Harbor, where a small community of African American professionals have built a world of their own. Because their parents come out only on weekends, he and his friends are left to their own devices for three glorious months. And although he’s just as confused about this all-black refuge as he is about the white world he negotiates the rest of the year, he thinks that maybe this summer things will be different. If all goes according to plan, that is.
There will be trials and tribulations, of course. There will be complicated new handshakes to fumble through, and state-of-the-art profanity to master. He will be tested by contests big and small, by his misshapen haircut (which seems to have a will of its own), by the New Coke Tragedy of ’85, and by his secret Lite FM addiction. But maybe, with a little luck, things will turn out differently this summer.
In this deeply affectionate and fiercely funny coming-of-age novel, Whitehead—using the perpetual mortification of teenage existence and the desperate quest for reinvention—lithely probes the elusive nature of identity, both personal and communal.
The year is 1985. Benji Cooper is one of the only black students at an elite prep school in Manhattan. He spends his falls and winters going to roller-disco bar mitzvahs, playing too much Dungeons and Dragons, and trying to catch glimpses of nudity on late-night cable TV. After a tragic mishap on his first day of high school—when Benji reveals his deep enthusiasm for the horror movie magazine Fangoria—his social doom is sealed for the next four years.
But every summer, Benji escapes to the Hamptons, to Sag Harbor, where a small community of African American professionals have built a world of their own. Because their parents come out only on weekends, he and his friends are left to their own devices for three glorious months. And although he’s just as confused about this all-black refuge as he is about the white world he negotiates the rest of the year, he thinks that maybe this summer things will be different. If all goes according to plan, that is.
There will be trials and tribulations, of course. There will be complicated new handshakes to fumble through, and state-of-the-art profanity to master. He will be tested by contests big and small, by his misshapen haircut (which seems to have a will of its own), by the New Coke Tragedy of ’85, and by his secret Lite FM addiction. But maybe, with a little luck, things will turn out differently this summer.
In this deeply affectionate and fiercely funny coming-of-age novel, Whitehead—using the perpetual mortification of teenage existence and the desperate quest for reinvention—lithely probes the elusive nature of identity, both personal and communal.
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Comments for Sag Harbor: A Novel
- Posted on 2009-10-15
Best and funniest book of his by far!
You are gonna be cracking up when you read this book and you gotta get copies for your friends if they too grew up in this world that he creates with such precision and humor - there are some serious stories in it too - but the sum of its parts equal brilliance by one of our very best writers! He can't write another fast enough!
- Posted on 2009-10-08
I don't read books for the writing.
This book is all writing, no book. It seems like it should be an autobiographical first novel, but instead it is a navel-gazing non-story by an author who is already celebrated. Disappointing, at best.
Not worth reading, even if you've got nothing better to do.
- Posted on 2009-10-06
Loveable loser
Benji Cooper is the loveable loser with whom we can identify. Benji and his brother Reggie are spending the summer mostly alone at their family's beach house at Sag Harbor. He is at that awkward age for many teenage boys when the desire to be cool and fit in doesn't always match reality. Everytime I thought Benji was making progress, something happened that left him short. Take the time when he gets his first kiss and seems about to get more than that and all goes wrong. Or his frustration at his summer job at Jonni Waffle. I went through some similar experiences only a few years earlier than Benji (the book is set in 1985), so many of the cultural references were familiar. Some reviewers have disliked this book because of its lack of plot, but I think they just don't get what Colson Whitehead is doing here. He is painting a portrait of the black teenagers who happen to belong to families with summer beach houses and seem to not quite fit into any culture (black or white). The TV dinners, BB gun fights, and the grilling father were just a few of the elements that made this such a captivating read. I can only suspect that Benji will return next summer to Sag Harbor a bit wiser if not any luckier.
- Posted on 2009-09-24
Took a While to Get into The Rhythm but I Loved The Nostalgia
This book was a bit of a mixed experience for me. I found that I picked it up to read and then set it down several times. I found it difficult to initially latch on to the book which is stronger in mood but lighter in narrative. I did eventually find my way onto the rhythm of the book and ultimately enjoyed it.
In many ways this is both the beauty and the challenge of Colson Whitehead's writing here. He does so much with a book that doesn't have a lot of story, and once you recognize that there aren't going to be fireworks it's easier to sit back and enjoy it.
While Sag Harbor isn't action packed it does paint a very complete and compelling world for its main character. I found I could identify with Benji's issues as they called back to my own coming of age in the 80's. If you go into this book with the right expectations it can be quite a pleasurable read (perfect for a lazy summer day).
- Posted on 2009-09-13
Dont Bother
Boring, don't bother. His daily routine as a kid, was just mind numbing. After 100 pages took it back to the library.
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