The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD

Wow. Gorgeously sad and intensely thought-provoking, and in many ways, the true America. I'm still not quite sure where or when this was set - they are in the southern states, sometime in the 1800s, but there's also a literal Underground Railroad, and each state seems to provide a different atmosphere and way of confining the black people. As Cora says, "Whether in the fields or underground or in an attic room, America remained her warden." Everything was a delusion, especially the Valentine's farm and refuge. Every time she relaxed even a little, Cora was reminded over how little authority she truly had over her body and her actions. I can only hope that somehow, out in the west, past the end of this book, Cora has found some sort of peace and happiness.

I really glad there were smaller chapters interspersed, showing us the lives and minds of characters other than Cora. Having read the table of contents, I was eagering awaiting Cora's mother's story, and it was not at all what I expected and also insanely sad. Being abandoned was such a central part of who Cora was, who she believed herself to be, and why she continually held people at arm's length. "She was a stray after all. A stray not only in its plantation meaning - orphaned, with no one to look out for her - but in every other sphere as well. Somewhere, years ago, she had stepped off the path of life and could no longer find her way back to the family of people. " But we come to find out that central truth is a LIE - Mabel never meant to abandon Cora, in fact, she was returning because of Cora, because she loved her and wanted to give her a life of hope. It's so unbearably sad.

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