Denis Gray's A LONG STRETCH OF BLUE: A Review

 

 

by Kirpal Gordon

 



 

Once again, author Denis Gray has surpassed himself! His body of work does for the novel what August Wilson sought to do with theater: deliver another side of the African-American experience as it has played out over the decades of the XXth century and beyond. Although Gray's background as an opera singer is never mentioned, it's clear that he understands the healing power of song and brings to the blues a deep appreciatioin of the form. He even writes in a blues-inflected, repeating line that underlines the wit and signifyin' style of the great bluesmen. Moreover, in this historical moment when white America is catching up to the real history of our nation, A LONG STRETCH OF BLUE reveals the real struggle of every day folks caught up in this unjust beast of racial bias. Gray turns over every plot twist to make his delivery more total and souful. In short, a stunner! Have mercy!

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