Book Review: If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

I first read If Beale Street Could Talk in college, and I remember being struck by Baldwin’s writing. I was no less impressed on my second read. The book takes place right after the Civil Rights Movement in 1973, and it’s about a young woman fighting to get her fiance, Fonny, out of jail. Fonny is a black male wrongfully imprisoned based on the false testimony of a corrupt, racist cop. The book is about more than social politics; it’s about the perseverance of love and about the complicated respect humans have for each other, all of which only magnifies the crime of social politics having the audacity to interfere in what is most beautiful about humanity.

Baldwin gives Tish a distinct narrative voice, not exactly juvenile, not flowy or lyrical, but the writing still packed a punch. I thought he well captured the voice of a 19-year-old in emotional turmoil but desperately steadfast. He uses short sentences, and he builds up tension and then breaks it so you feel the emotions along with the characters. 

What I loved most about the novel were Fonny’s character and the relationships between Tish and her family. Tish’s parents and her sister were so understanding, supportive, and reasonable. And I loved the honest, direct, and shameless way that Fonny interacted with Tish’s parents. 

My copy of this book is littered with annotations; I loved Baldwin’s descriptions, and I loved the little things he included that made a huge impact, like how Tish’s mother always calls everyone “child” or “daughter” from her own children to Fonny to Mrs. Rogers (the victim and accuser of Fonny), and I think the lawyer too if I remember correctly, just to remind us that these are children we’re dealing with. That we’re all as fallible and worthy of protection and sympathy as a child. Or how Baldin doesn’t mention the crime Fonny is accused of till the middle of the book, because the crime is so secondary to Tish, and the book is written from her perspective. Though Tish empathizes with the victim of the crime that did occur, Tish’s main concern is Fonny, who she knows is innocent.

Though I adore this book and Baldwin’s writing in it, there were a few things that made me raise an eyebrow: 

• There were two times Tish went from talking about her dad to talking about sex with Fonny, which was such an odd transition.
• There was never a bad word said about Frank (Fonny’s father), but he was a wife beater, and I’m pretty sure Fonny describes Frank raping his wife at one point. Say what you want about marital rape or about Mrs. Hunt, but that was certainly uncomfortable.