An advertising copywriter's comfortable suburban life in 1960s America slowly unravels when a Black man knocks on his door. Little known and underrated African-American novelist William Melvin Kelley wrote a series of remarkable novels during his twenties and early thirties, then moved his family to Jamaica and converted to Judaism. He never published a novel again, although he completed several works that are yet to see the light of day. dem was Kelley's third novel, published in 1967. Advertising copywriter Mitchell Pierce has a materially comfortable life in 1960s America. He is married to Tam and has a little boy, Jake. They are well off enough to afford a coloured maid, Opal. Despite being financially secure, with a nice home and good job, Mitchell is angry, anxious and close to losing his mind. His status as a white man is on psychologically shaky ground. While he unthinkingly accepts the status quo, putting white males at the centre of the world, war in Asia, feminism and the civil rights movement is causing him confusion. One day when a friend of Opal's named Cooley turns up to take her out, Mitchell is incensed. He doesn't want her parading her Black boyfriends around and insists that she never allow Cooley near his house again. Opal apologises and adopts the submissive demeanour necessary for Black people to survive in the United States. This doesn't help, however, as Mitchell's racism leads him to believe she's been stealing from him. When Mitchell's wife Tam later gives birth to a coloured child, it causes a descent into madness. Mitchell takes a trip, often hallucinatory in tone, through the Black underworld to try and find the father, experiencing life on the other side of the racial divide. He doesn't learn anything, however, as he can't see beyond his white privilege. William Melvin Kelley is probably unique in that he wrote some of his major works from the perspective of deluded white characters. He portrays the world through white eyes – its prejudices and skewered thinking – to only turn the tables and expose the depth of racism in American society. Despite the challenging subject matter of his books, Kelley is actually a joy to read, somewhat similar in style to American greats such as Richard Yates and John Cheever. His prose is beautifully simple and crystal clear. The situations and characters feel so real that the reader immediately becomes immediately invested in them, eager to follow their unfolding dramas. Kelley's portrait of Mitchell Pierce is one of great originality and piercing truth: how a white man is trapped inside his own racism, warping his view of the world and his position in it. Mitchell Pierce is unhappy and uneasy right throughout dem, an unnerving hum is the background soundtrack to his life, and while he may vaguely brood why this is the case, he can never figure out why, perpetually imprisoned inside his ingrained racism. A remarkable work that deserves a wider audience. dem, by William Melvin Kelley. Published by Riverrun. $22.99 Review by Chris Saliba Comments are closed.
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