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A Lucky Man
In the nine expansive, searching stories of A Lucky Man, fathers and sons attempt to salvage relationships with friends and family members and confront mistakes made in the past. An imaginative young boy from the Bronx goes swimming with his group from day camp at a backyard pool in the suburbs, and faces the effects of power and privilege in ways he can barely grasp. A teen intent on proving himself a man through the all-night revel of J’Ouvert can’t help but look out for his impressionable younger brother. A pair of college boys on the prowl follow two girls home from a party and have to own the uncomfortable truth of their desires. And at a capoeira conference, two brothers grapple with how to tell the story of their family, caught in the dance of their painful, fractured history.
Jamel Brinkley’s stories, in a debut that announces the arrival of a significant new voice, reflect the tenderness and vulnerability of black men and boys whose hopes sometimes betray them, especially in a world shaped by race, gender, and class―where luck may be the greatest fiction of all.
Jamel Brinkley’s stories, in a debut that announces the arrival of a significant new voice, reflect the tenderness and vulnerability of black men and boys whose hopes sometimes betray them, especially in a world shaped by race, gender, and class―where luck may be the greatest fiction of all.
243 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2018
About the author
Jamel Brinkley
12 books191 followersJamel Brinkley was raised in Brooklyn and the Bronx, New York. He is a Kimbilio Fellow and is an alum of the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop. He has been awarded scholarships from the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, the Tin House Writers’ Workshop, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. A recent graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he was also the 2016-17 Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in A Public Space and Gulf Coast, and his debut short story collection will be published in 2018 by Graywolf Press. He is currently at work on a novel, Night is One Long Everlasting.
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December 6, 2018
Library overdrive ebook.
I had no idea these short stories would lock me into an hypnotic trance. I willingly surrendered.
When short stories are ‘good’... really ‘good’... I just want to stand up and ‘cheer’... “Yeah, and ‘that’s how’s it’s done”!!!
There is no debate about short stories when they feel ‘this’
alive - this fresh - this awesome!!!!
The first story, “No More Than A Bubble”, was AWESOME FRICKEN WONDERFUL ... meaty- naughty - coming of age - layers deeper than meets the eye!!!
Claudius Van Clyde and Ben were college undergrads, (sophomores) in Philadelphia.
They went to a party in Brooklyn thrown by a couple of older Harvard grads.
They met up with two hotties: Iris ( from Belize), and Sylvia, ( from Dominican)
Ben had light brown skin: his father was white/Italian.
His mother was African American.
At the same time that Ben was on the prowl trying to hook up with a sexy co-ed...he’d think back to his father... things his father taught him about women.
Ben’s father - the old version of him - when younger and healthier- saw women as magnificent- colorful ....
they were “the essence of the earth”.
In a strange way - Ben was connecting to his father - loss of who he was - and his love with him through his dad’s
‘Old Boy’s way of womanizing.
He tried to model his dad’s actions ...
until.....
something inside Ben shifts - wakes up - ....
( so many ways to think about this story and its ending) ... but for me - it reminded me of a quick growth spurt that happened so fast - it would take several more after shocks to catch up with thyself as to
what the hell just transpired??
My tongue wasn’t hanging out reading every story - but I admired this entire collection - with a couple more standouts!!!
“A Family Man”,
“A Lucky Man”,
“Infinite Happiness”
we’re other stand outs.
The emotional honesty of these stories is what feels soooo right!!!!
Fantastic debut! I’m a new fan of Jamel Brinkley!
I had no idea these short stories would lock me into an hypnotic trance. I willingly surrendered.
When short stories are ‘good’... really ‘good’... I just want to stand up and ‘cheer’... “Yeah, and ‘that’s how’s it’s done”!!!
There is no debate about short stories when they feel ‘this’
alive - this fresh - this awesome!!!!
The first story, “No More Than A Bubble”, was AWESOME FRICKEN WONDERFUL ... meaty- naughty - coming of age - layers deeper than meets the eye!!!
Claudius Van Clyde and Ben were college undergrads, (sophomores) in Philadelphia.
They went to a party in Brooklyn thrown by a couple of older Harvard grads.
They met up with two hotties: Iris ( from Belize), and Sylvia, ( from Dominican)
Ben had light brown skin: his father was white/Italian.
His mother was African American.
At the same time that Ben was on the prowl trying to hook up with a sexy co-ed...he’d think back to his father... things his father taught him about women.
Ben’s father - the old version of him - when younger and healthier- saw women as magnificent- colorful ....
they were “the essence of the earth”.
In a strange way - Ben was connecting to his father - loss of who he was - and his love with him through his dad’s
‘Old Boy’s way of womanizing.
He tried to model his dad’s actions ...
until.....
something inside Ben shifts - wakes up - ....
( so many ways to think about this story and its ending) ... but for me - it reminded me of a quick growth spurt that happened so fast - it would take several more after shocks to catch up with thyself as to
what the hell just transpired??
My tongue wasn’t hanging out reading every story - but I admired this entire collection - with a couple more standouts!!!
“A Family Man”,
“A Lucky Man”,
“Infinite Happiness”
we’re other stand outs.
The emotional honesty of these stories is what feels soooo right!!!!
Fantastic debut! I’m a new fan of Jamel Brinkley!
May 8, 2018
We are in a cultural moment where men’s predatory behavior — in the workplace, at parties, in living rooms and in the White House — has wrung dry any grace that dictums like "boys will be boys" previously provided. Critics sportingly hunt down that dictum wherever it appears, and one only wishes it a rapid extinction.
Personally, I hunger for more complicated views of masculinity. I couldn’t stop talking about Moonlight after I saw it. I remember curling up with my blanket and emotions on an airplane, landing and renting it again as soon as I returned to my apartment. I paused only to appreciate the beauty of its tonal blues and tenderness; its achingly beautiful and wholly unpredictable grace.
A Lucky Man is a stunning debut short story collection, one that reminds me of Moonlight. It is not a book about gay men, though. Rather, Brinkley explores black men under both the pressurized violence and bottled up tenderness that undoes them at every turn. This is a book that acknowledges male stereotypes while subverting them and exploring the psychic damage they leave in their wake.
Brinkley builds his stories over the lowly clatter of life: recent college graduates on the prowl for girls; teenage boys on the prowl for a glance up a skirt; small boys on the prowl for haircuts that will make them look like men; and grown men on the prowl for something, anything, that will make them feel more whole.
Brinkley describes women as men on the hunt might see them, except perhaps more admiringly. In “No More Than a Bubble,” two young men arrive at a Harvard party convinced the girls there “wore better, tinier underwear than the girls [they] knew” and were “mad geniuses of their bodies.” Women seen by the men in Brinkley’s stories are creatures full of wiles and mysterious ways. A classic male gaze. But even while writing from the points of view of his characters, Brinkley writes with precision about women, letting the men who hunger after them witness a complicated dimensionality. Each story also carries, even while traversing the superficiality of a college party, the profound tenor of old wounds (about race, family, and yearning).
All nine of the stories in this collection share an identical architecture, but Brinkley’s endings are so ethereal and luminous that one is hardly bothered. Brinkley’s stories find their footing on the violent edge of gender performativity and end in a reach for language to describe the incomprehensible.
One ending is so beautiful, I must share it. But will not give you any context so as not to ruin your reading:
“Claudius was sitting in the bed, staring at me. All at once an acute ugliness shuddered into being, a face revealed within a face, and he must have seen it within mine too. It has been that way with people in my life, with people I have loved: a fine dispersal, a rupture as quiet as two lips parting, a change so sudden one morning, so slight, you wonder if they had ever been beautiful at all.”
Jamel Brinkley’s A Lucky Man is as compulsive to read as an addictive novel. It is a gripping tapestry of boys at that juncture of life where the men they are to become “[begins] to erupt out of [them], like a flourish of horns." It's also a tapestry of those moments where the distances, hesitations and intimacies become the crack of these men’s breaking.
Personally, I hunger for more complicated views of masculinity. I couldn’t stop talking about Moonlight after I saw it. I remember curling up with my blanket and emotions on an airplane, landing and renting it again as soon as I returned to my apartment. I paused only to appreciate the beauty of its tonal blues and tenderness; its achingly beautiful and wholly unpredictable grace.
A Lucky Man is a stunning debut short story collection, one that reminds me of Moonlight. It is not a book about gay men, though. Rather, Brinkley explores black men under both the pressurized violence and bottled up tenderness that undoes them at every turn. This is a book that acknowledges male stereotypes while subverting them and exploring the psychic damage they leave in their wake.
Brinkley builds his stories over the lowly clatter of life: recent college graduates on the prowl for girls; teenage boys on the prowl for a glance up a skirt; small boys on the prowl for haircuts that will make them look like men; and grown men on the prowl for something, anything, that will make them feel more whole.
Brinkley describes women as men on the hunt might see them, except perhaps more admiringly. In “No More Than a Bubble,” two young men arrive at a Harvard party convinced the girls there “wore better, tinier underwear than the girls [they] knew” and were “mad geniuses of their bodies.” Women seen by the men in Brinkley’s stories are creatures full of wiles and mysterious ways. A classic male gaze. But even while writing from the points of view of his characters, Brinkley writes with precision about women, letting the men who hunger after them witness a complicated dimensionality. Each story also carries, even while traversing the superficiality of a college party, the profound tenor of old wounds (about race, family, and yearning).
All nine of the stories in this collection share an identical architecture, but Brinkley’s endings are so ethereal and luminous that one is hardly bothered. Brinkley’s stories find their footing on the violent edge of gender performativity and end in a reach for language to describe the incomprehensible.
One ending is so beautiful, I must share it. But will not give you any context so as not to ruin your reading:
“Claudius was sitting in the bed, staring at me. All at once an acute ugliness shuddered into being, a face revealed within a face, and he must have seen it within mine too. It has been that way with people in my life, with people I have loved: a fine dispersal, a rupture as quiet as two lips parting, a change so sudden one morning, so slight, you wonder if they had ever been beautiful at all.”
Jamel Brinkley’s A Lucky Man is as compulsive to read as an addictive novel. It is a gripping tapestry of boys at that juncture of life where the men they are to become “[begins] to erupt out of [them], like a flourish of horns." It's also a tapestry of those moments where the distances, hesitations and intimacies become the crack of these men’s breaking.
April 20, 2020
a collection of nine stories about the formation of Black masculinity, A Lucky Man examines the loneliness and endurance of Black boys and men living in American cities. Each of the pieces gathered here focuses on the male protagonist’s relationships with women, but also looks at his friendships with other men and his bond with his father. Brinkley’s prose is crisp and sharp, his sentences carefully constructed. The neatness of his prose often is at odds with the messiness of his character-focused stories, which take sudden turns and end on notes of ambiguity. The author could have more fully realized his female characters, who often appear as sketches, but his treatment of Black male interiority is nuanced.
January 12, 2019
A solid collection of stories about the black male experience. Jamel Brinkley puts masculinity under a microscope in this collection, examining how it affects his characters' relationships with others and themselves. Whether the story centers a man feuding with his wife, a son who had to grow up without his father, or a brother both infuriated at and protective of his younger sibling, a poignant sense of loss and insecurity pervades these stories. Brinkley captures complex situations without forcing any premature sense of closure.
Perhaps it is unreasonable for me to ask for this, but I wish the men in these stories had shown more growth, or had been held accountable for their actions more. Yes, these characters bear the brunt of racism and patriarchal toxic masculinity. At the same time, several of them engage in misogynistic and/or homophobic actions. I can see how some readers would find it sufficient that Brinkley portrays these situations with honesty, yet I still wanted more development, or some acknowledgement that these characters could unlearn their sexism or at least for that sexism to have been taken more seriously within these stories. Overall, while I wanted a little more emotional impact and well-rounded female characters in A Lucky Man, I would still recommend it to those intrigued by its premise.
Perhaps it is unreasonable for me to ask for this, but I wish the men in these stories had shown more growth, or had been held accountable for their actions more. Yes, these characters bear the brunt of racism and patriarchal toxic masculinity. At the same time, several of them engage in misogynistic and/or homophobic actions. I can see how some readers would find it sufficient that Brinkley portrays these situations with honesty, yet I still wanted more development, or some acknowledgement that these characters could unlearn their sexism or at least for that sexism to have been taken more seriously within these stories. Overall, while I wanted a little more emotional impact and well-rounded female characters in A Lucky Man, I would still recommend it to those intrigued by its premise.
October 10, 2018
Shortlisted for the National Book Award 2018
In his debut short story collection, Brinkley discusses the socialization of men of color in the contemporary American inner city, heavily focusing on his protagonists' relationships with women - mothers, lovers, wives, friends, strangers - during different stages of their lives. This author has an outstanding ability to portray insecurity and loneliness without the slightest degree of cliche and kitsch, some of his psychological writing is outstanding.
What bothered me though was the way he structures his stories: While they are certainly unpredictable, the abrupt turns and just-as-abrupt endings give his texts a fragmentary character that I sometimes found a little frustrating. Brinkley is not afraid to let his readers think for themselves, which is of course a good thing, and there are wide open spaces for interpretation, but some of the vagueness borders on randomness, IMHO. (Also, trigger warning for dog lovers.)
Still, there are some observations in this collection that make it obvious what the NBA judges must have seen in these texts, like this one:
"For most people there is a gap, for some a chasm, between the way they dream themselves and the way they are seen by others. That gap might be the truest measure of one's loneliness."
In his debut short story collection, Brinkley discusses the socialization of men of color in the contemporary American inner city, heavily focusing on his protagonists' relationships with women - mothers, lovers, wives, friends, strangers - during different stages of their lives. This author has an outstanding ability to portray insecurity and loneliness without the slightest degree of cliche and kitsch, some of his psychological writing is outstanding.
What bothered me though was the way he structures his stories: While they are certainly unpredictable, the abrupt turns and just-as-abrupt endings give his texts a fragmentary character that I sometimes found a little frustrating. Brinkley is not afraid to let his readers think for themselves, which is of course a good thing, and there are wide open spaces for interpretation, but some of the vagueness borders on randomness, IMHO. (Also, trigger warning for dog lovers.)
Still, there are some observations in this collection that make it obvious what the NBA judges must have seen in these texts, like this one:
"For most people there is a gap, for some a chasm, between the way they dream themselves and the way they are seen by others. That gap might be the truest measure of one's loneliness."
July 25, 2018
A Lucky Man is a brilliant collection of stories!
Jamel Brinkley holds a magnifying glass over black masculinity, laying bare the consequences that result from experiences had and choices made by his exceptionally well-written characters.
His writing is so controlled, with not one sentence out of place. His voice is so subtle, yet each story is made more powerful because of that quality.
The standout stories for me are Infinite Happiness,
Everything the Mouth Eats, and J'ouvert, 1996. I'm looking forward to the future works of this excellent, new literary voice.
Jamel Brinkley holds a magnifying glass over black masculinity, laying bare the consequences that result from experiences had and choices made by his exceptionally well-written characters.
His writing is so controlled, with not one sentence out of place. His voice is so subtle, yet each story is made more powerful because of that quality.
The standout stories for me are Infinite Happiness,
Everything the Mouth Eats, and J'ouvert, 1996. I'm looking forward to the future works of this excellent, new literary voice.
October 28, 2018
2.5 rounded down
Some wonderful writing but - like my GR friend Meike has noted - the structure of the stories often doesn't quite work. Many of the stories are quite vague, and I finished several wondering what the author was trying to say or convey in them. The descriptions of women's bodies irked me a lot too - women are either described as being incredibly beautiful and pursued by these men or written off as fat and/or ugly.
Some wonderful writing but - like my GR friend Meike has noted - the structure of the stories often doesn't quite work. Many of the stories are quite vague, and I finished several wondering what the author was trying to say or convey in them. The descriptions of women's bodies irked me a lot too - women are either described as being incredibly beautiful and pursued by these men or written off as fat and/or ugly.
July 6, 2018
Jamel Brinkley’s A Lucky Man is a collection of short stories that comprise a tender and thoughtful interrogation of masculinity in all its complexity. We journey with characters in the bloom of manhood and those navigating the struggle of past trauma, hurts and life’s unsettling disappointments. Even in the shorter pieces here, there lies a myriad of insightful and interesting themes ever unfurling, some deployed with great care and gravitas of a writer who has honed his craft consistently and skillfully; and some with a wink and a smile. And that is where, to me Brinkley’s brilliance lies.
Set in my stomping grounds of New York City, mainly in The Bronx and Brooklyn, it was especially wonderful to see my City on the page. But more than that, it’s been a while since I’ve encountered (perhaps I never have) a writer who has done such justice to stories of the men and boys who inhabit my corner of the world, and for that I feel grateful to have read this. Though only one story here contains the point-of-view of a female character, I did not feel alienated at all. In fact, I feel like there is a kind of vulnerability to some of these stories that was very moving and drew me in.
The heart-rending “Everything the Mouth Eats” and the exhilarating imagery “J’ouvert 1996” were standouts for me. If you pick this up, proceed straight there! (But don’t play yourself and miss out on the rest).
Undoubtedly, this has earned itself a spot on my Top Books of 2018.
Read it.
Set in my stomping grounds of New York City, mainly in The Bronx and Brooklyn, it was especially wonderful to see my City on the page. But more than that, it’s been a while since I’ve encountered (perhaps I never have) a writer who has done such justice to stories of the men and boys who inhabit my corner of the world, and for that I feel grateful to have read this. Though only one story here contains the point-of-view of a female character, I did not feel alienated at all. In fact, I feel like there is a kind of vulnerability to some of these stories that was very moving and drew me in.
The heart-rending “Everything the Mouth Eats” and the exhilarating imagery “J’ouvert 1996” were standouts for me. If you pick this up, proceed straight there! (But don’t play yourself and miss out on the rest).
Undoubtedly, this has earned itself a spot on my Top Books of 2018.
Read it.
March 30, 2024
Book #2 completed for Black History Month, 2024
"The world was too awful. What you loved, friends, family, notions of yourself, you would lose. And what caused you pain would hurt all the more if you gave it any space in your mind" (Brinkley 211).
A solid, sad collection of short stories- mostly about men living in the South Bronx and Brooklyn trying their hardest to escape generations of poverty, toxic masculinity, racism and classism. Each of these stories are what I'd call "almost novellas" because of their length and scope.
Some of the standouts include:
"J'ouvert 1996" is a touching story of its young protagonist trying to get a haircut from a Brooklyn barber shop, who dreams of escaping his family. He finds himself in the midst of the Caribbean parade in Flatbush, Brooklyn. I was tickled to read this story because it's set in so many familiar places I know in Brooklyn.
"No More than a Bubble"- a narrator and his friend Claudius find themselves in a night that begins at a college party, then an odyssey around the underbelly of the NYC streets, and ends with them participating in a sexual foursome that turns into a moment of homoeroticism and momentary desire.
"I Happy Am"- a young boy experiences a sexual awakening with a predatory older woman named Arlene after being invited to go swimming in an affluent suburb in Upstate NY, close by the City.
"Everything the Mouth Eats"- a touching story of two brothers: the narrator, and his younger brother Carlos whose relationship disintegrates as the narrator comes of age, hoping to escape the South Bronx, and be as far away from New York as possible. Their relationship becomes fraught with violence that simmers at the surface beyond sibling rivalry. But it's ending is perfect- as they both reconcile through song.
"Wolf and Rhonda" is a dark story of a narrator who has a sexual affair with "fat Rhonda"- a homely girl who seems to be easy prey for him and his friends. But there's more to her: she's resilient and is caring for family that seems to think she's invisible.
These stories reminded me of vintage Junot Diaz, James Baldwin, Ernesto Quiñonez and Jesmyn Ward except that they seemed to lack the kind of bite that those voices of color seem to have in their work. There is nothing wrong with Brinkley's work- in fact, he's a real talent and captures a slice of life wistfulness that his characters seem to have in their yearning for escape, and desire to be seen and loved by others. His stories are a bit on the grim side, without a shred of humor, and is written with a detached sensibility that was somewhat off putting. Also, they meandered a bit. I never seemed to know which story began where, or how they ended because they seemed to be fragments of novels, rather than stand alone, episodic works of fiction.
Still, Mr. Brinkley is a talent that shouldn't be missed, and should be read.
"The world was too awful. What you loved, friends, family, notions of yourself, you would lose. And what caused you pain would hurt all the more if you gave it any space in your mind" (Brinkley 211).
A solid, sad collection of short stories- mostly about men living in the South Bronx and Brooklyn trying their hardest to escape generations of poverty, toxic masculinity, racism and classism. Each of these stories are what I'd call "almost novellas" because of their length and scope.
Some of the standouts include:
"J'ouvert 1996" is a touching story of its young protagonist trying to get a haircut from a Brooklyn barber shop, who dreams of escaping his family. He finds himself in the midst of the Caribbean parade in Flatbush, Brooklyn. I was tickled to read this story because it's set in so many familiar places I know in Brooklyn.
"No More than a Bubble"- a narrator and his friend Claudius find themselves in a night that begins at a college party, then an odyssey around the underbelly of the NYC streets, and ends with them participating in a sexual foursome that turns into a moment of homoeroticism and momentary desire.
"I Happy Am"- a young boy experiences a sexual awakening with a predatory older woman named Arlene after being invited to go swimming in an affluent suburb in Upstate NY, close by the City.
"Everything the Mouth Eats"- a touching story of two brothers: the narrator, and his younger brother Carlos whose relationship disintegrates as the narrator comes of age, hoping to escape the South Bronx, and be as far away from New York as possible. Their relationship becomes fraught with violence that simmers at the surface beyond sibling rivalry. But it's ending is perfect- as they both reconcile through song.
"Wolf and Rhonda" is a dark story of a narrator who has a sexual affair with "fat Rhonda"- a homely girl who seems to be easy prey for him and his friends. But there's more to her: she's resilient and is caring for family that seems to think she's invisible.
These stories reminded me of vintage Junot Diaz, James Baldwin, Ernesto Quiñonez and Jesmyn Ward except that they seemed to lack the kind of bite that those voices of color seem to have in their work. There is nothing wrong with Brinkley's work- in fact, he's a real talent and captures a slice of life wistfulness that his characters seem to have in their yearning for escape, and desire to be seen and loved by others. His stories are a bit on the grim side, without a shred of humor, and is written with a detached sensibility that was somewhat off putting. Also, they meandered a bit. I never seemed to know which story began where, or how they ended because they seemed to be fragments of novels, rather than stand alone, episodic works of fiction.
Still, Mr. Brinkley is a talent that shouldn't be missed, and should be read.
July 5, 2020
These stories were definitely well written. They revolved around Black men and their experiences and relationships, often with women but also with their family or other men.
I have to point out, though, that I didn't particularly like how the female characters were described in most (if not all) of the stories.
I have to point out, though, that I didn't particularly like how the female characters were described in most (if not all) of the stories.
September 25, 2018
This NBA longlisted collection of short stories centers on the lives of men of color in the inner city. It looks at their relationships to women - mothers, classmates, wives - at different times in their lives. While many of the stories were wrenching and honest, a few lacked a certain level of feeling - like listening to a piece of music played technically correct, but without love for the music. Overall, though, excellent writing.
November 25, 2018
2.5*
Hard to review as quite clearly the author is an excellent writer. I liked the last story Clifton’s Place the best followed by Everything The Mouth Eats and J’ouvert 1996.
The rest I could take or leave as some were fairly vague or just lacked feeling to connect the reader.
Leading off with a story featuring pretty horrific animal abuse made me almost abandon this collection all together.
Hard to review as quite clearly the author is an excellent writer. I liked the last story Clifton’s Place the best followed by Everything The Mouth Eats and J’ouvert 1996.
The rest I could take or leave as some were fairly vague or just lacked feeling to connect the reader.
Leading off with a story featuring pretty horrific animal abuse made me almost abandon this collection all together.
December 23, 2018
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMnI5jlJ...
12/23/18 Update: I am late posting this update, but I had the opportunity to discuss this amazing short story collection with Cassie & Jollene of the incredible Misread Podcast. The link is posted below.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Ji9...
12/23/18 Update: I am late posting this update, but I had the opportunity to discuss this amazing short story collection with Cassie & Jollene of the incredible Misread Podcast. The link is posted below.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Ji9...
October 4, 2018
If you, like me, are craving more complex explorations of male masculinity, specifically black male masculinity, then these stories are for you. This and Friday Black are two of the strongest collections I’ve read in a long time.
January 30, 2019
Though Jamel Brinkley is an undeniable talent, with an ability to write gorgeous and unique prose that feels effortless and challenging all at once, this collection of short stories fell completely flat for me. Not a single one of the stories, not even one of the many characters we are introduced to, resonated with me on any level - not emotionally, not intellectually...nothing. The stories are pretty dull, with not nearly enough plot to make reading this collection anything more than a fairly treacherous slog (despite clocking in only at a trim 240ish pages).
I also feel that while the male characters were fairly complex and somewhat interesting, the women characters were mere devices and were given very little care and attention. Other than Fat Rhonda (and maybe Cody?), they were flat and boring and only mattered in relation to the horrible men at the center of each story. I understand that this book is centered on black masculinity, but the careless descriptions of the women were cliche, and did not live up to the author's clear writing abilities.
Jamel Brinkley is like a more talented and complex version of Junot Diaz, but his work felt almost pretentious, relying more on the sophistication of his writing and neglecting other sort of important things...like plot. Frankly, this book is a vague, meandering collection of stories exploring the nuanced ways in which men can be shitty. I guess nothing about that surprises or challenges me, so the whole reading experience left me cold.
If you're on the hunt for an excellent collection of short stories, my absolute favourites are:
(1) Heads of the Colored People - Nafissa Thompson-Spires
(2) What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky - Lesley Nneka Arimah
(3) The Thing Around Your Neck - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I also feel that while the male characters were fairly complex and somewhat interesting, the women characters were mere devices and were given very little care and attention. Other than Fat Rhonda (and maybe Cody?), they were flat and boring and only mattered in relation to the horrible men at the center of each story. I understand that this book is centered on black masculinity, but the careless descriptions of the women were cliche, and did not live up to the author's clear writing abilities.
Jamel Brinkley is like a more talented and complex version of Junot Diaz, but his work felt almost pretentious, relying more on the sophistication of his writing and neglecting other sort of important things...like plot. Frankly, this book is a vague, meandering collection of stories exploring the nuanced ways in which men can be shitty. I guess nothing about that surprises or challenges me, so the whole reading experience left me cold.
If you're on the hunt for an excellent collection of short stories, my absolute favourites are:
(1) Heads of the Colored People - Nafissa Thompson-Spires
(2) What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky - Lesley Nneka Arimah
(3) The Thing Around Your Neck - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
June 19, 2021
Aquí hay un autor en control total de su narrativa. Cada una de las historias tiene una estructura tan bien pensada que nada se lee como artificio, es como si estuviera accediendo a una vida de una persona de tú a tú, en carne y hueso.
Se valora demasiado esta entrada a personajes solitarios, que se cuestionan sus acciones, otras formas de masculinidad y relaciones familiares, sentimentales y otras cuya gracia o desgracia es que no tienen nombre.
Me fascina pensar que es su primer libro y agradezco que la editorial haya decidido traducirlos de manera impecable al español.
Una sorpresa y un regalo para los que disfrutamos de los relatos largos.
Se valora demasiado esta entrada a personajes solitarios, que se cuestionan sus acciones, otras formas de masculinidad y relaciones familiares, sentimentales y otras cuya gracia o desgracia es que no tienen nombre.
Me fascina pensar que es su primer libro y agradezco que la editorial haya decidido traducirlos de manera impecable al español.
Una sorpresa y un regalo para los que disfrutamos de los relatos largos.
November 28, 2023
A collection of stories about boys and men and their relationships to women, whether it be their mothers or lovers, and their relationships to each other, as friends, brothers, sons and fathers. A lot of it is about masculinity, but it didn’t hit me over the head with it and shout THEME. It wasn’t overtly political or even critical. Brinkley’s main thing seemed to be to inhabit his broken characters and just follow them. There is compassion for their flaws. How tragic, that these dumb things occupy so much of men’s mental spaces. I sensed William Trevor’s influence in the mood and emotional temperature of these stories – the quiet, elegant prose, the emphasis on the slow reveal. I’m curious to see what Brinkley does next. He’s a valuable contemporary writer, someone who has been able to articulate the way trendy, hot button issues in popular culture are tightly knotted to timeless human matters of intergenerational trauma, love, desire, anger, loss and jealousy.
July 17, 2018
This is one of the most profound short story collections I've read over the past few years. I say that with no hesitation, because let's face it--most short story volumes these days ain't that good, unevenly written at best. Very rarely are ALL of the stories in a collection workable and readable pieces of literature. "A Lucky Man" is one of the few exceptions.
In this volume are nine stories, all featuring Black men and boys in the Bronx who are dealing with life and its societal pressures. There is a focus on masculinity here, specifically Black masculinity--how men view women, their families, and how they justify their behavior toward them. Here there are unhealthy relationships and expectations of what it means to be a man. It is not just sexism on display, however. In some cases, the choice to reject traditional "male" behavior has disastrous consequences, in others, the character finds peace. The nuances of what it means to be a Black man are explored here in a variety of different settings.
The powerful story "J'ouvert 1996" was my favorite in this collection, which tells the story of a young boy's coming of age during an all-night street festival. "Everything the Mouth Eats" is the tale of two brothers' healing of the past during a capoeira festival. "A Family" is about one man's quest to come to terms with his actions many years after a terrible act. "A Lucky Man" is an interesting exploration about male desire.
Overall, this is a beautiful collection of tales. It is hard to believe that this is Jamel Brinkley's first book, he writes with a talent that is rare and unique. I look forward to any future writing projects he has. Definitely recommend!
In this volume are nine stories, all featuring Black men and boys in the Bronx who are dealing with life and its societal pressures. There is a focus on masculinity here, specifically Black masculinity--how men view women, their families, and how they justify their behavior toward them. Here there are unhealthy relationships and expectations of what it means to be a man. It is not just sexism on display, however. In some cases, the choice to reject traditional "male" behavior has disastrous consequences, in others, the character finds peace. The nuances of what it means to be a Black man are explored here in a variety of different settings.
The powerful story "J'ouvert 1996" was my favorite in this collection, which tells the story of a young boy's coming of age during an all-night street festival. "Everything the Mouth Eats" is the tale of two brothers' healing of the past during a capoeira festival. "A Family" is about one man's quest to come to terms with his actions many years after a terrible act. "A Lucky Man" is an interesting exploration about male desire.
Overall, this is a beautiful collection of tales. It is hard to believe that this is Jamel Brinkley's first book, he writes with a talent that is rare and unique. I look forward to any future writing projects he has. Definitely recommend!
July 16, 2018
Have you ever wanted to like a book, but after reading it you find that it didn’t meet your expectations? This is my experience with A Lucky Man. I really wanted to love it, but it didn’t happen for me. It was like some of the stories had no real direction, they just meandered around unsure of any true destination.
I do appreciate the attempt by Mr. Brinkley to highlight Black masculinity in a nuanced way that rarely gets expressed in fiction. And he takes on the Black male gaze right from the jump, with the story No More Than A Bubble. A story examining how young Black males hold women in their gaze, but they kind of get the script flipped on them when the women they have chosen for the evening force them to gaze at each other naked before any rawness jumps off. Awkward.
That story showed promise and it’s easy to see why it was chosen to open up the book. There are eight other stories and we don’t see the potential followed up on, until the final story. There are some bright spots in the other stories, but not enough of them to push this collection above average. Although the writing was absorbing, there was some repetition across stories where the same themes keep getting traversed. I would read his next work, because the talent is obvious, but this collection missed the mark, in my oh so humble opinion.
I do appreciate the attempt by Mr. Brinkley to highlight Black masculinity in a nuanced way that rarely gets expressed in fiction. And he takes on the Black male gaze right from the jump, with the story No More Than A Bubble. A story examining how young Black males hold women in their gaze, but they kind of get the script flipped on them when the women they have chosen for the evening force them to gaze at each other naked before any rawness jumps off. Awkward.
That story showed promise and it’s easy to see why it was chosen to open up the book. There are eight other stories and we don’t see the potential followed up on, until the final story. There are some bright spots in the other stories, but not enough of them to push this collection above average. Although the writing was absorbing, there was some repetition across stories where the same themes keep getting traversed. I would read his next work, because the talent is obvious, but this collection missed the mark, in my oh so humble opinion.
April 8, 2019
This is a noteworthy collection; not only are short stories a hard sell for established authors, but for a new author like Brinkley, published by a smaller publisher outside of the Big Five to get any attention at all is unusual. Yet this book shows up on prize lists as diverse as the National Book Award and The Tournament of Books. The attention the is book is getting is well-deserved, the stories collected here are varied, but all speak to the experience of growing up as a person of color in New York. Like most collections, there were a few weaker offerings sandwiched between the strongest stories at the front and back of the book, but all were worth reading. Brinkley's skill is to bring the inner life of a child to life and to make the reader feel every uncertainty. This is a collection that brings to life the people living in the ungentrified areas of New York's boroughs. It's a good collection and I'll be sure to read whatever Brinkley writes next.
July 4, 2018
There’s so much to praise in this collection that my mind is all tangled up trying to communicate what moved me, broke me, and repaired me. A similar state of speechlessness stutters the young and grown men in Brinkley’s stories. With sharp-eyed empathy, Brinkley shows us how and why love is defined differently by different people, and how violence often waits in that contradiction. What does it mean for a man to care for other men? To be cared for? How do these models of caring and kindness, distorted by masculinity and race, translate later into how these men care for the women in their lives, and how they care for themselves? Every one of these nine stories is flooded by love that misses its target because it was never taught how to aim. And we, the readers, are left to witness all the love left in the room, long after the targets have abandoned the space as empty.
May 27, 2023
Each of these stories finds its protagonist at a cross roads whether he knows it or not. Sometimes these questions of racial equality, sexual identity or life changing incident are not apparent until looked back on sometime in the future, and familial relationships are challenged and forged. Many of the stories share a similarity in the father-son bond, examining the almost infinite ways in which that union can be challenged, stretched and tested. Also many end abruptly, and their strength lies in the fact that Brinkley knew just where to end his stories, at an appropriate juncture that needed no further edification.
December 17, 2019
Man what a way to end the book!
“It was from observing him, who was conceived in the tenth-floor apartment and breathed much of his first air from that elevator into his tiny lungs, that I can’t up with my theory about what the projects could make of people. “ This quote is from “Everything the Mouth Eats”. The brothers in this story I felt like had similar issues that me as the oldest sibling felt towards my little sister at times. Which is probably why this one was my favorite.
All I can say about Wolf and Rhonda is my my how the tables turn!! This was one of the funniest stories of the book.
“Clinton’s Place” was such a peaceful and soft story. The story was told so descriptively that I imagined I was sitting in the corner of the bar the entire story. It just felt like a comfortable safe place.
“It was from observing him, who was conceived in the tenth-floor apartment and breathed much of his first air from that elevator into his tiny lungs, that I can’t up with my theory about what the projects could make of people. “ This quote is from “Everything the Mouth Eats”. The brothers in this story I felt like had similar issues that me as the oldest sibling felt towards my little sister at times. Which is probably why this one was my favorite.
All I can say about Wolf and Rhonda is my my how the tables turn!! This was one of the funniest stories of the book.
“Clinton’s Place” was such a peaceful and soft story. The story was told so descriptively that I imagined I was sitting in the corner of the bar the entire story. It just felt like a comfortable safe place.
December 12, 2018
A sure-footed, confident, and brave debut collection, Jamel Brinkley’s A Lucky Man explores the contemporary African-American experience with acuity and truth.
Within it, we’re exposed to unflinching examinations of everything from toxic sibling relationships, gentrification, and dementia, to childhood trauma and midlife crisis.
At times, Brinkley’s hyper attentiveness and care do prevent the collection from truly flying, as some authorial moves and structural decisions are employed so often they become redundant.
But, truth be told, if you have even an inkling of interest in the contemporary Af-Am experience, this is as worthwhile a collection as any to read.
Within it, we’re exposed to unflinching examinations of everything from toxic sibling relationships, gentrification, and dementia, to childhood trauma and midlife crisis.
At times, Brinkley’s hyper attentiveness and care do prevent the collection from truly flying, as some authorial moves and structural decisions are employed so often they become redundant.
But, truth be told, if you have even an inkling of interest in the contemporary Af-Am experience, this is as worthwhile a collection as any to read.
May 17, 2018
This is an exceptional short story collection and I was drawn in to the lives of the characters. This, from the book description, says it well:
"Jamel Brinkley's stories, in a debut that announces the arrival of a significant new voice, reflect the tenderness and vulnerability of black men and boys whose hopes sometimes betray them, especially in a world shaped by race, gender, and class—where luck may be the greatest fiction of all."
Highly recommended.
"Jamel Brinkley's stories, in a debut that announces the arrival of a significant new voice, reflect the tenderness and vulnerability of black men and boys whose hopes sometimes betray them, especially in a world shaped by race, gender, and class—where luck may be the greatest fiction of all."
Highly recommended.
November 3, 2018
From the National Book Award short list, beautifully written stories about masculinity, set among black men living in Brooklyn. This collection surprised me—it snuck past my feminist hackles, which seem to be permanently raised these days. Not my first choice to win the NBA (that was There, There), but I’ll be delighted if it does win.
March 5, 2020
I often say my biggest issue with short stories is when they just end, and that’s how I felt about most of these stories. Of course, every story must end, but for me the measure of an unsatisfying story is when it ends unexpectedly and I’m left unsure about what to do with what I’ve just read. This collection unfortunately felt like a chore to read, and only a few of the stories felt memorable and left me at all excited to keep chewing on them.
My genre preferences keep me gravitating much more towards speculative short stories than this collection’s sort of contemporary/literary stories, which in this case all focus on Black men or boys of all different ages in New York City. I thought I was getting better at reading this genre after several stunners in a row, but this one made me feel a little bit like I was back at square one. It was clearly very well written, and I’m sure these stories will land better with others than they did with me though, so don’t let this review dissuade you from checking it out.
My genre preferences keep me gravitating much more towards speculative short stories than this collection’s sort of contemporary/literary stories, which in this case all focus on Black men or boys of all different ages in New York City. I thought I was getting better at reading this genre after several stunners in a row, but this one made me feel a little bit like I was back at square one. It was clearly very well written, and I’m sure these stories will land better with others than they did with me though, so don’t let this review dissuade you from checking it out.
February 19, 2018
Thanks to Graywolf for the ARC!
Jamel Brinkley’s debut presents us with beautifully constructed stories that are both grounded and far-reaching. Brinkley’s strength lies in the examination of his characters that not only details the everyday essence of their lives, but shows true respect and compassion for the fullness of their humanity. Somehow both quiet and vibrantly loud, Brinkley’s narratives are driven just as much by the unspoken as what is said aloud. This book repairs family bonds and unearths buried trauma; it considers kids let down by their parents and adults disappointed by their partners. It finds children grappling with the intersection of race and class. This is a collection inhabited by black men and boys looking for the best in each other and in themselves, making mistakes, and learning all of the horror and beauty that the world contains for them.
Jamel Brinkley’s debut presents us with beautifully constructed stories that are both grounded and far-reaching. Brinkley’s strength lies in the examination of his characters that not only details the everyday essence of their lives, but shows true respect and compassion for the fullness of their humanity. Somehow both quiet and vibrantly loud, Brinkley’s narratives are driven just as much by the unspoken as what is said aloud. This book repairs family bonds and unearths buried trauma; it considers kids let down by their parents and adults disappointed by their partners. It finds children grappling with the intersection of race and class. This is a collection inhabited by black men and boys looking for the best in each other and in themselves, making mistakes, and learning all of the horror and beauty that the world contains for them.
April 25, 2018
I'm calling it early, this is the short story collection of the year.
But Mr. Jason Foose says it better than I ever could:
“A Lucky Man marks the arrival of a brilliant new voice in contemporary fiction. In quiet, elegant prose, debut author Jamel Brinkley renders characters who are universally relatable yet entirely unique, with all the complexities and subtleties of living, breathing people. As I read their stories, I was swept up into the lives of these characters, so much so that at times I forgot I was reading fiction and felt instead that I was reading letters from old friends. This is an important and powerful collection. Its slice-of-life stories glow with a soft light, revealing rich detail and vibrant beauty in the dark corners of human experience. Every moment held me in silent awe.”
But Mr. Jason Foose says it better than I ever could:
“A Lucky Man marks the arrival of a brilliant new voice in contemporary fiction. In quiet, elegant prose, debut author Jamel Brinkley renders characters who are universally relatable yet entirely unique, with all the complexities and subtleties of living, breathing people. As I read their stories, I was swept up into the lives of these characters, so much so that at times I forgot I was reading fiction and felt instead that I was reading letters from old friends. This is an important and powerful collection. Its slice-of-life stories glow with a soft light, revealing rich detail and vibrant beauty in the dark corners of human experience. Every moment held me in silent awe.”
June 24, 2019
“We both preferred girls of a certain plumpness, with curves— in part, I think, because that’s what black guys are supposed to like. Liking them felt like a confirmation of possessing black blood, a way to stamp ourselves with authenticity”.
I might not say this right but the incomplete but completeness of this book was refreshing. It was as if I was waiting for resolution for each story but you do not receive that. The last 100 pages or so let me know they I did not need an actual ending but each story had an importance as a whole. The first short story is called “No More Than a Bubble” and it blew me to pieces.
My favorite stories from this collection are: A Family, No More Than a Bubble, A Lucky Man, Wolf and Rhonda, and Clifton’s Place.
I might not say this right but the incomplete but completeness of this book was refreshing. It was as if I was waiting for resolution for each story but you do not receive that. The last 100 pages or so let me know they I did not need an actual ending but each story had an importance as a whole. The first short story is called “No More Than a Bubble” and it blew me to pieces.
My favorite stories from this collection are: A Family, No More Than a Bubble, A Lucky Man, Wolf and Rhonda, and Clifton’s Place.
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