This was an incredibly written beautiful story of Cora. Whitehead has an interesting spin on the Underground Railroad and what it consisted of which is fun. When I finished reading, I had to ask my husband whether or not there were actual trains on the railroad, because Whitehead made it so realistic. Even my husband, when I explained my confusion, couldn't give me a straight answer; I had to Google it to find out that no, this was just Whitehead's childhood fantasy of trains on the Underground Railroad.
The novel is very well-written and flows beautifully and horrifyingly. There were so many times and so many phrases that I read and had to put the book down because of the sickness in my gut. For example, this is one of the least or the sentences that gave me pause and had me swallowing down the sick: "In effect, they abolished slavery. On the contrary, Oney Garrison said in response. We abolished niggers." Whitehead was incredible at digging into the minds of slaves and whites alike. Both sides were presented so well, including whites for and whites against slavery: both sides have a share in this story, and it's almost overpowering how well Whitehead writes these sides.
I appreciated the breaks in Cora's story to give background on the "minor" characters of the novel. It was fun to read a few pages about the characters that until then, we didn't know much about. My heart broke when I read Mable's chapter. To think that she had turned back for Cora, but never made it, is heart-wrenching. And Cora never knew, which is the worst of it.
Cora is an incredible character. I was humbled, encouraged, and impressed by her throughout the entire story. Her only flaw was that she was too trusting in the places she landed, and always hesitated a moment too long, but I can't blame her for that. It wasn't until I finished the book and glanced at the summary that I remembered/realized that Cora is only 15. That does not seem real to me. She is so much older, wiser, and braver, than any 15-year old I know. I almost want to reread it, with that age in mind and see if it changes anything for me.
Whitehead also was fantastic with creating the antagonists. Not only do you have overall slavery as a villain, but then you have Randall, you have the Irish servant, and worst of all, you have Ridgeway. Every time he reappeared, I had to put the book down for a second because I was so upset. Each time Cora defeated him, I believed would be the last, but it was never the last until the very end and that was great. And terrible. But great in regards to the quality of the book.
“The underground railroad is bigger than its operators—it’s all of you, too. The small spurs, the big trunk lines. We have the newest locomotives and the obsolete engines, and we have handcars like that one. It goes everywhere, to places we know and those we don’t. We got this tunnel right here, running beneath us, and no one knows where it leads. If we keep the railroad running, and none of us can figure it out, maybe you can.”
Excellent book.
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