artspolitics

I loved Gone Fishin’ by Walter Mosley. While I was expecting a mystery in the vein of Devil in a Blue Dress, I was pleasantly surprised to find this book was a stirring mix of voodoo and in an oddly related way, father-son relationships. The relationship between Easy, Mouse, and their distant fathers was a fascinating, complicated look at the relationship between Black men and their fathers. As a Black woman, I can’t comment on those relationships, but the book showed that distant or abusive fathers can have far-reaching effects on their children. Because of their dysfunctional relationships, Easy becomes emotionally distant and Mouse is a remorseless criminal bent on revenge against his stepfather, Reese with tragic results.

While the book was heartbreaking at times, Easy’s subtle attack of conscience at the end of the novel was a great lesson for other Black men who feel they can’t rise above their circumstances. When Easy makes simple decisions as learning to read and moving from Houston to Dallas show that he wants to change his life and break his family cycle of despair and poverty, he proves that anyone can change if they want to change. I hope that this book is read by Black men or anyone who wants to read about family relations and how to overcome a painful past.