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A review by rpweber15
Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell
4.0
This debut novel has completely confounded me in terms of giving it a star rating. On one hand, it is full of plot holes, the pacing is really off, and I think the author ended up diluting some of the messages by trying to do too much with too many important perspectives/story lines. I also wasn't a huge fan of the ending. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the author's writing style and this book was packed with passages that really resonated with me. This story is going to sit with me awhile and I will want to eventually re-read with a highlighter in my hand. So, in the end, I'm giving this book 4 stars for the provocative vibes, characters I enjoyed, and the glimpse of a speculative future, that though it is not for me as a white person, it is one that is preferable to the violent world we currently live in. And it gives me comfort that the people who deserve that better future are the ones who got it.
There are two additional comments I want to make about this story:
1. Based on some reviews, it seems like white readers are all up in their feels about the premise of this story. However, the people offended by the premise of this book aren't really providing much nuance in their reactions. I'm not surprised AT ALL, but it is still frustrating. I really wish white people would challenge themselves to go deeper than the surface. The "event" in this story is essentially the genocide of white people. However, the author very pointedly notes that white is not a race, it's an idea. Is it really genocide in that case? Is it genocide if it's the extermination of oppression? I haven't fully processed everything yet, but at the moment, I'm trying to challenge myself to really think about what it means to be white in America. This book is about what it means to be Black in America, but for us white readers, I think it challenges us to also consider what it means to be white.
2. I'm a bit of a cynical person and don't believe in utopias. The utopia in Mobile had its place in the story, but it was just too simplistic for me as a reader. Then again, it wasn't for me as a white person. And that's ok.
Spoiler
There are two additional comments I want to make about this story:
1. Based on some reviews, it seems like white readers are all up in their feels about the premise of this story. However, the people offended by the premise of this book aren't really providing much nuance in their reactions. I'm not surprised AT ALL, but it is still frustrating. I really wish white people would challenge themselves to go deeper than the surface. The "event" in this story is essentially the genocide of white people. However, the author very pointedly notes that white is not a race, it's an idea. Is it really genocide in that case? Is it genocide if it's the extermination of oppression? I haven't fully processed everything yet, but at the moment, I'm trying to challenge myself to really think about what it means to be white in America. This book is about what it means to be Black in America, but for us white readers, I think it challenges us to also consider what it means to be white.
2. I'm a bit of a cynical person and don't believe in utopias. The utopia in Mobile had its place in the story, but it was just too simplistic for me as a reader. Then again, it wasn't for me as a white person. And that's ok.