BINGO – Minds (the narrator reflects at the end of his life in the various ways that he has changed his mind on certain truths he once believed)
Jacob is dying. He knows that his time is almost up, but he has some things to resolve, namely with his son Isaac. In a series of letters to his son Isaac, Jacob tries to go back to the very beginning of his life and explain where he comes from, where their family has roots, how his opinion and viewpoints were influenced by his own father, family and community. He describes how those viewpoints shaped the husband and father that he was, for better and for worse. He goes in to the work that he’s been trying to do to make himself a better person, even if all of his loved ones have left him.
The summary above does not do Jacob’s journey any semblance of justice. Jacob knows that these letters that he is writing to his son are his final attempt to make things right, so he is completely vulnerable and open. He doesn’t shy way from his mistakes and he doesn’t downplay his accomplishments. Jacob writes the humility and also strength of someone who has engaged in very deep reflection. Author Daniel Black has created a marvelous voice for Jacob which was compelling to read from start to finish.
Most of what Jacob is trying to resolve is the chasm between himself and Isaac because of Isaac’s sexual orientation. Isaac is gay, and Jacob, raised in the South by his grandparents who were once enslaved, cannot accept that. I do wish that we had gotten a response from the gay son, but that isn’t what Black set out to do. Through Jacob’s heartfelt letters we did get a more intimate insight into Jacob’s innerworkings, but this style left out the chance for any responses. I wonder why Black made that choice and if he has any plans to write a follow up; I would 100% read a follow up from Isaac’s point of view.