The Freelance Pallbearers

Ishmael Reed
1967
Rating: 2

This was Ishmael Reed’s first novel, and based on the limited reading I’ve done about him and his work, the consensus seems to be that this was not nearly his best.

I got to page 50 and had to put it down. It was amusing at points, but also induced a weird kind of vertigo, left me feeling like I was stuck in the mind of a crazy person who was just free-associating, and that very well could have been Reed’s desired intent. However, there was not enough happening in terms of plot or character development or things of that nature to keep me hooked, and it really felt like homework.