This was a difficult read for me, primarily because of Levy’s handling of racism in Britain. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s important to look at the past, as ugly as it might be, and I liked getting the opportunity to see things from a British perspective as an American. The contrast between the frankly revolting attitude of Bernard (the American sentiment) juxtaposed with Queenie’s (British) well-meaning but ultimately just as harmful assumptions was interesting.
The sections about Bernard were my least favorite of all, and at first I would have called it a fault of the novel, but now I wonder if that was Levy’s intention – he certainly seems to aggravate everyone he comes into contact with, so perhaps the reader is meant to be just one of many. I found the last quarter or so of the novel to be a slog as a result, and I almost wish Bernard had been replaced with another character entirely.
I’ll admit I was put off at the beginning with how Levy attempted to capture and describe accents. I can’t say for sure how accurate it is, so I’ll leave that for someone else, but I personally don’t care for that technique in general. Slurs are used incredibly frequently which, while realistic, can also be a turn-off, and sometimes I just needed to put the book down for a little while and go do something else for a bit to not feel quite so gross. Ultimately, however, I’m glad I stuck this one out, although I can’t say I enjoyed the read or would read it again.