Chain Gang All Stars: A Novel by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Criminal Action Penal Entertainment (CAPE) is all the rage. In it, those originally sentenced to 25+ years or life can fight to the death to earn their freedom. At the moment, two of the most popular of these modern-day gladiators are Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker. Not only are Thurward and Staxxx Links on the same Chain Gang, they are also lovers--something that all the viewers also know and revel in. Thurwar is so close to earning her freedom, but will a rule change coming down form above chane everything?
Chain Gang All Stars: A Novel by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is a spellbinding, brutal, debut novel. Adjei-Brenyah deftly jumps from interconnected perspectives of several magnetic Links, protestors vehemently opposed to CAPE, fascinated and growing CAPE fans, and even CAPE employees. While there is this back and forth, Adjei-Brenyah never lets readers down. Instead of a jarring experience, the jumping helps build the complex, violent, and all-too-plausible-feeling world in which CAPE thrives.
Adjei-Brenyah has crafted not only a brilliant distopian novel, but she has turned an excruciating eye on the interlocking chains of racism, mass-incarceration, the concept of freedom, and capitalism. While Chain Gang All Stars can be a tough read in terms of covered material, it is a vital read for all.
Comments
Post a Comment