Customer Reviews

Dark: A Novel

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I can't hold myself back anymore, this is the worst book I have ever read. Without question. If black men were really this flat and stupid we'd have died off entirely by now. I wish Mr. Jasper (who seems like a truly kind man)would learn what a cliche is, what bad dialogue is, what a stereotype is and, in the future, avoid them. I'm not even old, I'm twenty, and this book should have been speaking to me but I'm old enough to know that I'm better than this, my boys are better than this and the main character, Thai, deserved better than this. We are black men, not cardboard cutouts.

Kenji Jasper's "Dark" is meant to be a story of redemption. Opening in Washington, DC, its plot centers around a black man named Thai who kills another man in the heat of the moment. Shocked by what he's done and terrified of the consequences, he flees to North Carolina, where his best friend takes him in. During his week in Charlotte, Thai meets various men and women who help him realize that by not facing what he has done, he is slowly killing himself. Ultimately, Thai returns home to take responsibility for his actions.

Jasper is clearly a talented writer. His protagonist is wonderfully developed, and most of the other major characters are also well-done.

The author's writing is crisp and precise: once or twice it seemed like poetry. The style, however, seemed far too elementary for the story being told. This book is written on a fifth-grade reading level. While that makes for a fast read, it also occasionally detracts from the story's emotional intensity.

Overall, this novel is not perfect, but it is a good, fast read. And it will make you think.

"Dark" offers readers a glimpse into the life of a young, black man trying to figure out his identity and establish his values. Kenji Jasper does an excellent job of conveying the futility of much of the strife that takes place in the less than wealthy areas of Washington, D.C. "Dark" explains a lifestyle that many people, especially W.A.S.P.s like myself, make judgment upon without even partially recognizing all of the involved complexities. The size of the load that is on the protagonist's mind is more than most people would have to shoulder over the course of their entire life, and this gentleman is barely of legal driving age. Ultimately, this novel, though it is fiction, does an excellent job of letting a reader know what life is like in the core of many of America's historic cities. It makes a person consider that many people who partake in activities that society would describe as "ugly" are not necessarily the stereotypical, thoughtless thug. This book rings a note similar to "The White Boy Shuffle". While "Dark" book will beg to be read in one quick sitting (it is that captivating), take the time to also appreciate the literary talent and unique style that Kenji Jasper displays.

Dark by first-time novelist, Kenji Jasper, is a well written, thought-provoking and disturbing read. Jasper paints a vivid and descriptive picture of life in the Shaw District of Washington, DC. Jasper offers a glimpse into the life of a young AA male who's trying to discover his place and role in life. 19-year old, Thai Williams, is hanging out on the streets of DC with his knucklehead boys when he finds himself in a bad situation. Thai is the intellectual member of the four-some, so when he catches his girlfriend with another man, and decides to shoot him, Thai surprises himself. One minute he was college-bound and the next minute he's running from the law. While he's on the lem he decides to head down to Charlotte, NC to hang out with his buddy, Enrique, who's gone on to make a better life for himself. The week that Thai spends in Charlotte is one of introspection and trying to come to terms with his latest actions.

Kenji Jasper has written an intriguing and enlightening novel. My only disappointment was all of the loose ends at the end of the story. I didn't feel like any of the issues were really resolved; maybe a sequel is in the works. Nevertheless, Dark is a small book with a powerful message and one that I highly recommend for teenagers and young adults.

This debut novel is a tight story about Thai, a 19-year-old black man with the mind and ability to make something positive of himself, but who is wary of anyone and anything beyond his neighborhood (Shaw, in Washington, D.C.). One evening he kills another young black man in the heat of the moment (they are fighting and he is handed a gun) in retaliation for sleeping with his girlfriend. This step toward thug life shocks him out of his home turf, and takes off for Charlotte, NC to hide out and see his best friend. On the surface this sounds like another basic urban crime story, but its really the entry point for the author to explore how young black men and women get stuck in the ruts of dead-end jobs and living situations, unaware of the possibilities offered by the world.

Contrary to what others have written, the book is not about redemption. Jasper makes it clear that there is no path for redemption after murderits an evil one has to live with for the rest of ones life. The only positive path is to change ones life, and the books real story is about Thais struggle to figure out whether his identity is inexorably bound to the people and places he knows, or whether his identity is something he can redefine for himself. During his week in Charlotte, he is shown how life can be better, both by his best friend (who has a j-o-b, a fine ride, and a fine woman), and others he meets who try and convince him that leaving the old neighborhood behind isnt the end of the world. We taken deep into Thais head and shown all his confusion and the conditioning that he struggles with. And in that sense, its a cautionary story.

The writing is simple and solid, Jaspers dialogue flows with a natural realistic rhythm, whether it be banter between friends, or serious father-son talks. Each character has a distinct voice, and comes alive as a real person. The one criticism I have is the role women play in the story. Throughout the book, men young and old are shown to be heartbroken by women who cheat on them, play them, die on them, abandon them, or otherwise mess up their lives. More than one character advises Thai not to fall in love, due to the complications it causes. And over the week Thai spends in Charlotte, he meets a white woman who wants to have sex with him within minutes of their meeting, a black stewardess who he has amazing no commitment sex with three times, and another good-looking black woman who seems to want to tease him sexually. Granted, Thai may view woman as purely sex objects, but this is never explored with the same thoughtfulness as the other issues in the book. Even so, its an excellent glimpse into the psyche of a modern black youth looking for a way out of the neighborhood and his own darkness. Jasper leaves it open-ended, and its possible we might see more of Thai down the road.

If youre into D.C. stuff, check out Edward Joness excellent collection of stories Lost in the City, and the crime novels of George Pelecanos. Another recent novel with a similar theme (set in Oakland ten years ago) is Nichelle Trambles strong The Dying Ground.

i will not blast the writers style or the way this book was written because it wasnt written for the 30 something people nor was it written for the trendy 20 something crowd.....this book was written for the teenager that is headed for trouble. its message reminds me of "the Coldest Winter Ever" in a toned down form.

the main character(THAI)lives for his block, his homies and his pops. when he travels into the dark side, he leaves the only place that he knows and loves along with the people there. he visits a friend in Charlotte and finds that there is more to life than "the block" and the people on it. while running from his past Thai finds the answers to questions that have haunted him since a child. he also learns some new lessons on life, love and himself.

this would be a good read for someone that is on the bubble for trouble. brother Jasper breaks the story down without becoming a preacher....he lets the story become a teacher. while it might not change the "bubble person", it just might give them something to think about......and lead them from the DARK.

Please support this young writer by buying this book. He's done an excellent job at character development and plot execution. I read this book in about 5 hours. I couldn't put it down. Made me feel like I was reading a male version of THE COLDEST WINTER EVER and I couldn't put that book down either. It was a very realistic story and good to see that just because you are in the dark doesn't mean you always have to stay there. We all fall down ...

Kenji Jasper is obviously a talented writer, and this novel is an easy, though not entirely satisfying, read. As indicated in some in previous reviewers' comments, there is a superficiality of his treatment of some of the thematic issues, starting with murder. The end result is sort of the novelistic equivalent of a made for TV movie. That said, Hollywood managed to take "The Beach," a similarly underachieving psychological novel and turn it into a major motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio, so perhaps the question ought to be "who will play Thai in the movie?"

i read this after les miserables, and they both compliment each other. thai , like valjean, are both products of their environment, shaped by their actions. thai kills a man after he catches him sleeping with his woman. he didn't want to do it, but he was influenced by his peers who don't knwo the value of life, who only know how to live by the gun. then thai flees to north carolina and spends a week finiding himself. discovers another life beyond the streets and meets people who will influence him for ever...

the best thing abou this book is the characters. thai is street smart, yet vulnerable enough to know the value of life. even though he will defend himself to the death, he knows that killing is not the way to solve conflicts...i had a chance to check out d.c. recently. went walking through shaw, adams-morgan, and other parts of d.c., and found it to be like no place i have ever been to. a black city. the people there are proud of their hood and are doing their best to keep a proud heritage alive...

i also like the realtionship between thai and his father. normally such relationships are virtually nonexistent. since black fathers are rarely around. thai's dad is just a hard working man doing his best to meet his ends. maybe if thai had a mom in his life, he wouldn't have turned out so hard, but that's the way it goes. bill in charlotte, serves as thai's surrogate dad, passing down wisdom as only an urban griot can...

this books reads like a way cool blaxploitation flick...it feels so real it scares me..i know people like this...

The best thing about this book - and there are a lot of good things - is how it flows. The dialogue, the story, the character, the relationships - each flows superbly well separately and together, to create an incredibly readable book. Its a great journey into the head of a black ghetto-bound 19 year old who suddenly finds himself a murderer through a mixture of pride, opportunism and peer pressure, and so leaves the ghetto for Charlotte NC to lay low and hang with a childhood friend who moved there a year before. His interaction with new characters create wonderful mini-stories, and the overall building of his character across a week of enlightenment in his life creates a highly memorable central protagonist. Totally recommended - a great read.