Real Life – Brandon Taylor
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: As a gay, Black Southerner, Wallace feels like an outsider at the predominately white Midwestern university where he is earning an advanced degree. Over the course of a weekend, a flurry of situations proves that even the best of intentions for inclusion, understanding and meaningful connection can fall short.
Expectation: A coming of age story with renewed urgency as it explores the experiences of Black people in predominately white communities.
Reality: A beautifully written but sad reminder of how much well-meaning white people continue to perpetuate inequality.
Recommended For: Fans of literature that makes you think and people seeking perspectives from non-white, non-hetero main characters.
Why I Read It: Lots of buzz about it on #Bookstagram and it was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
My take:
“Real Life,” a stunning debut by Brandon Taylor, is a lot to unpack.
In about 330-pages he tackles everything from racism and classism in higher education, the uglier facets of gay culture, gender inequality, childhood sexual trauma and domestic abuse. If that weren’t enough, he also completely unmasks the ways in which well-meaning white people marginalize their minority friends in both overt and unconscious ways.
Still, for as heavy as the subject matter is, it is buoyed by Taylor’s lush descriptions and a stream of consciousness narrative that lulls the reader/listener through his experiences. This approach helps reaffirm that Wallace has learned to live and, in many ways, thrive despite how his friends, family and colleagues have treated him — but it doesn’t mean he’s fine with it.
His “deficiencies,” “challenging background” and queerness have made him feel like an outsider for most of his life and led him to believe he is an impostor. Ultimately, the novel is Wallace trying to determine who he really is, what he really wants and how he can he achieve it.
Your perception and takeaways from story will be completely influenced by your own experiences. There were five specific events that led to further reflection for me:
His supervisor’s assumptions that if something goes wrong in the lab it is because of Wallace’s incompetency, not another student’s
His white friends projecting their own emotions about how you should mourn the loss of a parent but never asking Wallace why it isn’t a bigger deal to him
A dinner party where a guest questions, in front of the table, if Wallace is only in his graduate program because he’s a minority
A social situation where his close friend dominates the conversation with his own hardships but never asks Wallace what is bothering him when he is clearly struggling
A confrontation with a fellow student where she uses homophobic and racist language but excuses it because she views Wallace as a misogynist
In each situation, Wallace is treated differently than his white counterparts. He is expected to provide support, acknowledge feelings or accept blame without question and with no reciprocation or recourse. These spotlights on racial aggressions and microaggressions makes it a good companion to non-fiction books about dismantling racism and white privilege.
While I enjoyed most of the novel, the love story with Miller — the primary focus of the last third — didn’t land for me. However, Taylor brilliantly brings the book full circle by hearkening back to when Wallace first arrived at the university and the hopes and dreams of what his experiences there would be.
It is a stark reality to how he feels today, and that’s a powerful reminder that sometimes the things meant to save you can ultimately destroy you.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: September 2 – 8, 2020
Multi-tasking: Yes, but you’ll miss some of the gorgeous writing.
