Written by Juliana Ukiomogbe
It’s a miracle to realize that somebody loves you. – James Baldwin
With its film adaptation (directed by Barry Jenkins) currently garnering much-deserved award-season recognition, If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin is having a resurgence.
Published in 1974 and set in 1970s Harlem, Beale Street is about 19-year-old Tish who falls in love with her childhood friend Fonny. Their relationship is put through trials and tribulations when Fonny is sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. Some themes that the book presents range from romantic love to mass incarceration to sexual assault.
At its onset, the novel is about love. The relationship between Tish and Fonny is really beautiful as you see it blossom from a childhood friendship into something much greater. The way Baldwin writes about love and desire is one of the novel’s many strengths.
If you’ve seen the recent film, the novel is much grittier. It doesn’t sugarcoat the character’s circumstances and it provides you with a rather realistic depiction of what it was like to be Black in the ‘70s. Though the novel deals with heavy topics like suicide and assault, it’s still very beautiful; this is probably due to Baldwin’s striking prose. His concerns here are with both sensuality and injustice, and he merges the two so well.
If you’ve never read Baldwin before, this is a great place to start as this is one of his most easily-read novels. His writing style and themes may be a bit daunting for some, so Beale Street is a great entry point.
The beginning quote taken from James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk perfectly encapsulates this novel. Love is at the center, and love is what drives it home.
If Beale Street Could Talk is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Have you read If Beale Street Could Talk? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions-affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.
