Dark (Paperback)

Contrary to what others have written, the book is not about redemption. Jasper makes it clear that there is no path for redemption after murder-it's an evil one has to live with for the rest of one's life. The only positive path is to change one's life, and the book's real story is about Thai's struggle to figure out whether his identity is inexorably bound to the people and places he knows, or whether his identity is something he can redefine for himself. During his week in Charlotte, he is shown how life can be better, both by his best friend (who has a j-o-b, a fine ride, and a fine woman), and others he meets who try and convince him that leaving the old neighborhood behind isn't the end of the world. We taken deep into Thai's head and shown all his confusion and the conditioning that he struggles with. And in that sense, it's a cautionary story.

The writing is simple and solid, Jasper's dialogue flows with a natural realistic rhythm, whether it be banter between friends, or serious father-son talks. Each character has a distinct voice, and comes alive as a real person. The one criticism I have is the role women play in the story. Throughout the book, men young and old are shown to be heartbroken by women who cheat on them, play them, die on them, abandon them, or otherwise mess up their lives. More than one character advises Thai not to fall in love, due to the complications it causes. And over the week Thai spends in Charlotte, he meets a white woman who wants to have sex with him within minutes of their meeting, a black stewardess who he has amazing no commitment sex with three times, and another good-looking black woman who seems to want to tease him sexually. Granted, Thai may view woman as purely sex objects, but this is never explored with the same thoughtfulness as the other issues in the book. Even so, it's an excellent glimpse into the psyche of a modern black youth looking for a way out of the neighborhood and his own darkness. Jasper leaves it open-ended, and it's possible we might see more of Thai down the road.

If you're into D.C. stuff, check out Edward Jones's excellent collection of stories "Lost in the City," and the crime novels of George Pelecanos. Another recent novel with a similar theme (set in Oakland ten years ago) is Nichelle Tramble's strong "The Dying Ground."