Baldwin’s first novel experiments with form, telling a semi-autobiographical story of growing up in a religious household with family that ain’t practicing what they preach. It includes flashbacks, different perspectives, and hallucinatory episodes to ultimately tell a story that takes place within one present day. While there are certainly kinks to work out, you can already tell that Baldwin is a genius at work with a unique talent. This is the first Baldwin I’ve read and now look forward to getting to some of his more famous works that made him a giant of American Literature.