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Odyssey (2013)

by Walter Mosley(Favorite Author)

3.84 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0345804457 (ISBN13: 9780345804457)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Vintage

review 1: How often do we see our life reflected in a character? How much of our own life do we ever see in another mans story? I think that is what I respect most about Walter Mosley's stories, their capture and portrayal of real life conflicts and struggles. Especially the internal ones. Odyssey uses blindness to help us see, distance to define desire, and the past to illustrate the present - all presented with grim honesty, whit, and some surprise. Well worth the time to read it.
review 2: If odyssey is defined by a long and eventful journey, then this novel is aptly titled. The adventure here belongs to Sovereign James, a HR manager who has been implementing a secret social engineering project designed to empower Black people to the point where they can take over t... morehe company. The novel opens with Sovereign meeting with a psychiatrist, because he has suffered from hysterical blindness. There is no apparent physical component to this, but for the past 9 weeks, Sovereign hasn't been able to see anything. He has been completely blind. And through Sovereign's meetings with the Dr., in addition to his own private thoughts reminiscing about his life, we learn a great deal about how he assesses himself. Though he has lost eyesight he has gained tremendous insight. He takes an inventory of his past and is rarely pleased with the contents. Sovereign befriends a young lady named Toni after a mugging and a good portion of the novel deals with their relationship, as she becomes his lover and confidante. Through their conversations and interactions, we're informed about Sovereign's upbringing and his family. The retrospecting into his family, his relationship with his grandfather, his lively live-in-the-moment brother is where this novel sizzles. Sovereign's sight is returned after a "traumatic" event that, ironically involves Toni's "friend" and subsequently Sovereign wants to set things right in his life. He wants to change his reactions and behaviors to become a better person. The lack of sight has given Sovereign plenty of time to "see" his past and make changes to his present to arm himself for the future.The usual Mosley humor and suspense are ever present, as well as the sexual prowess of a middle aged man. That seems to a be a recurring theme in Mosley books, effectively making him the hero of every man in that 45-54 demographic. This was a tight and quick read. And as you all know, you rarely go wrong with Mosley. less

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