Overview
āA portrait of a young manās unraveling, a depiction of how race shapes and deforms us, a comingāofāage story that is also a confrontation with American history and amnesia. The book achieves more in its brief span than most books do at three times the length.ā āZachary Lazar, author of I Pity the Poor Immigrant
David, the narrator of Simeon Marsalisās singular first novel, is a freshman at the University of Vermont who is struggling to define himself against the white backdrop of his school. He is also mourning the loss of his New York girlfriend, whose grandfatherās alma mater he has chosen to attend. When David met Melody, he lied to her about who he was and where he lived, creating a more intriguing story than his own. This lie haunts and almost unhinges him as he attempts to find his true voice and identity.
On campus in Vermont, David imagines encounters with a student from the past who might represent either Melodyās grandfather or Jean Toomer, the author of the acclaimed Harlem Renaissance novel Cane (1923). He becomes obsessed with the varieties of American architecture āupon land that was stolen,ā and with the universityās past and attitudes as recorded in its newspaper, The Cynic. And he is frustrated with the way the Internet and libraries are curated, making it difficult to find the information he needs to make connections between the universityās history, African American history, and his own life.
In New York, the previous year, Melody confides a shocking secret about her grandfatherās student days at the University of Vermont. When she and her father collude with the intent to meet Davidās mother in Harlemācraving what they consider an authentic experience of the black worldātheir plan ends explosively. The title of this impressive and emotionally powerful novel is inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbarās poem āWe Wear the Maskā (1896): āWe wear the mask that grins and lies . . .ā
This book title, As Lie Is to Grin (A Novel), ISBN: 9781936787593, by Simeon Marsalis, published by Catapult (October 10, 2017) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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