The Weight
Books | Fiction / Literary
Jeff Boyd
A powerful coming-of-age novel about a twenty-something Black musician living in predominantly white Portland, Oregon, playing in a rock band on the verge of success while struggling with racism, romance, and the legacy of his strict religious upbringing.Julian Strickland is seemingly the lone Black man in the hipster dreamland of Portland, Oregon. To his friends, he’s the coolest member of the scene: the soulful drummer from Chicago in an indie rock band that’s just about to break through. But to himself, he’s a sheltered Christian homeschool kid who used to write book reports on Leviticus. A virgin until the night of his marriage, divorced at twenty-four, he’s still in disarray two years later—pretending to fit in, wondering if any of his relationships are real, estranged from his family, and struggling to reconcile his relationship with God. Then he meets Ida Blair, a Black painter at the start of a promising career. They begin a tentative relationship, and Ida seems to offer Julian relief from his confusion. But suddenly she stops responding to his texts. Things only get worse when Julian’s best friend mysteriously turns on him, his house burns down, and the band considers breaking up on the eve of their most important show yet. It seems the only thing Julian has left—the only thing he’s ever had, really—is the weight he is carrying. Jeff Boyd’s beguiling first novel is a piercing exploration of faith, racial identity, love, and friendship—woven of acid humor, disarming vulnerability, and unforgettable poignance.
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Author
Jeff Boyd
Pages
336
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2023-04-11
ISBN
1668007258 9781668007259
Community ReviewsSee all
" ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Maybe I’m too old for this book. It seems to primarily be about the aimless discontent of living in your 20s..and really..not much happens.
Julian, the MC, hates his job, gets high a lot, plays music occasionally, and pines over a few women leading to some angst with his bandmates. There’s a good deal of inner dialogue about god and guilt due to a repressive childhood, and some incidents of the sort of west coast casual racism delivered in microaggressions often from surprisingly close sources. Occasional macroaggressions of course, but not resulting in violence, at least not of the body. As a Black man existing in a mostly white but fairly inert space, Julian still navigates the kind of violence perpetrated on the psyche and the underlying fear danger can be only one moment and the wrong person away. In this PNW environment though it’s a brand of racism resulting from ignorance more generally than outright vitriol.
Unfortunately none of this is explored very deeply. As Julian’s life blithely meanders along so does the book and any moments hinting of potential tension are quickly deflated.
I was waiting for growth and depth, for maturing to develop, for catalysts. Perhaps though that’s the point I seem to be missing. That life just meanders? That some people just remain entrenched? I don’t know. Maybe? If so, I need more meaning than that.
I do look forward, however, to trying future books from the author as the writing was good and the story hinted at wanting to go somewhere. Hopefully plot and tension will be woven more fully into the next one. "
Sher Free✌️
