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The Devil in Silver
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
51 posts | 45 read | 63 to read
Landing in a mental institution after being accused of a crime he does not remember, self-proclaimed hero Pepper is assaulted by a monster that has been attacking patients but that the hospital staff does not believe exists.
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ReadingOver50
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

I loved Lone Women so much that I picked this up without knowing anything about it. I really like Victor LaValle's writing style. Interesting yet easy to read.

Pepper is involuntarily committed to a mental institution. What is supposed to be a 72-hour hold turns into months. Pepper learns of the monster that is stalking the inmates, and eventually he is attacked by the creature.

61 likes1 stack add
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Eggbeater
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

This horror story takes place in a New York psychiatric facility in 2011. The setting was detailed remarkably well and the characters were the kind that stick with you because they seem so real. The horror was more in the system than the supernatural aspect.

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GidgetsTreasures75
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

5-23-22: My 48th finished book of 2022! This book surprised me in the best way possible. After a minor altercation with undercover cops, Pepper is brought to New Hyde Hospital‘s psychiatric ward for a 72 hour hold. While 72 hours becomes months, Pepper befriends a varying group of residents, including Dorry, Coffee and Loochie. Their friendship turns into a solidarity that helps Pepper manage his new situation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣4️⃣8️⃣

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GatheringBooks
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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#SpringSentiments Day 17: This book cover and title make me a tad #apprehensive. Cannot wait to read horror stories again - our reading theme during the last quarter of the year.

Eggs 😱🥶😳 3y
36 likes1 comment
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NikkiM5
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Mehso-so

So I loved this book from the start, but it was a little long towards the end, that is why I gave it a so-so. I don‘t want to give anything away but it has a powerful message. If it was a just a little shorter, it would have been a pick for me.

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EyesOnly34
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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GreenGrl87
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Been thinking about this book a lot lately... might be time for a reread.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Great quote! 4y
9 likes1 comment
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GreenGrl87
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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GreenGrl87
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle

“One day the truth came to me. A wise man once said that every system is designed to give you the results you actually get. If you understand that, you‘ll see that this system is working.” “For some people,” Pepper said. Dr. Anand shook his head emphatically. “No. Wrong. The system is working exactly right for those it was intended for. That‘s why it hasn‘t been fixed. Because it isn‘t broken!”

GreenGrl87 The rest of the quote: “[...] Can you imagine anything more terrible? Doesn‘t it hurt? I love being an American and I know it hurts me.” 4y
GreenGrl87 From one of my favorite books that I‘ve been reflecting on quite a bit over the last week or so. 4y
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Bertha_Mason
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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🤐🚑

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Bertha_Mason
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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This paragraph sounds like it was fun to write.

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ImperfectCJ
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Mehso-so

Pepper doesn't belong in the psych ward, yet here he is, forced to face his assumptions about mental illness and a literal monster that roams the halls at night.

This is a solid so-so. It's amusing enough, but it feels loose, unpolished. I fear that Lavalle is using "but they're crazy" to excuse some inconsistencies in the characters. The novel does a good job, though, of capturing the Catch-22 that is mental healthcare in the US.

ImperfectCJ I will also note that Lavalle uses a variation on the term “bleed out“ twice in this novel. This is developing into a pet peeve...authors seem to use this term so much, and I can't figure out why except maybe that it's pseudo-technical and feels kind of like insider language. Not that the term alone is going to turn me off on a novel any more than a split infinitive (also a pet peeve) is going to, it's just a pebble in my shoe. 4y
TheAromaofBooks It is funny how certain words/phrases become really “in“ for a while. I'm also always surprised when a word is repeated frequently throughout a book - isn't that what editors are for?? I can't remember what book I was reading (it was an older one) where the author frequently used the word “panted“ and I couldn't get over it. “Oh no!“ she panted, etc. 4y
ImperfectCJ @TheAromaofBooks "isn't that what editors are for?" This. I can totally get it when an author gets a particular word or phrase in their head and it keeps coming out on the page---we all do it, I think---but ideally an editor would help take in the novel as a whole and ensure variety, where appropriate. I suspect that editors are pretty swamped with words and work and deadlines, though, so "ideal" is probably impractical/unattainable. 4y
TheAromaofBooks I've always thought being an editor would be an interesting job, helping an author hone their work into its best possible incarnation, but it's probably just super stressful haha 4y
ImperfectCJ @TheAromaofBooks I was an editor at a pharmaceutical company (promotions/advertising), and that was fun but frantic. I did a stint as an editorial intern at a small academic press after college, and that cured many of my romantic ideas about being an editor at a publishing company. But maybe someone higher up than an intern or someone freelancing could do more honing. 4y
30 likes5 comments
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flying_monkeys
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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#ScreamathonPhotoChallenge @4thhouseontheleft

Went with a book on my TBR with an #OrangeandBlack cover

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SconsinBookyBadger
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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📖 The Devil in Silver

📽 The Devil Wears Prada

🎼 Seven Devils ~ Florence + the Machine

#manicmonday @JoScho

JoScho 🖤😈🖤 5y
24 likes1 comment
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Velvetsun
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Haven‘t heard the best reviews for this....but I‘m going to give it a try. 🤓📖

LauraJ Happy Birthday 🎈🎂🎁 5y
35 likes2 comments
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Kamisha
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

Finished this creepy read last night. Pepper is brought for “temporary” holding to a mental hos., where the residents swear that the Devil (in the form of a man with the head of a bison) preys on them at night.

This book is horrific but ultimately not for the reasons readers would initially expect from the blurb. Definitely enjoyed it!

#screamathon

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Kamisha
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Spending my day off drinking coffee, loving that fall is finally here and embracing these two super spooky #screamathon reads!

Linsy I‘ve had my eye on that one on the right! 😈 5y
Kamisha @Linsy You should definitely read it! The stories that I‘ve gotten through so far have been really good, and very creepy! 👻 5y
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vivastory
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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What is more truly frightening? A #boogieman roaming the hallways of a mental hospital? Or a society that allows impoverished & vulnerable citizens to be locked away for an indeterminate period?
#OctoberXFiles
@Cinfhen @Robothugs

Cinfhen 😢😔😣 5y
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Kamisha
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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My overly ambitious TBR for #screamathon! And there are more on the kindle! Can you tell it‘s my favorite time of the year? 😂

🎃👻🧟‍♀️🧛🏻‍♀️

alisiakae Great picks! 5y
26 likes1 comment
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thereadingowlvina
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Finally I watched the movie Get Out last night. It was intense and heavy but I find the plot is intriguing! It's gets into your head and I am still thinking about it this morning.

I found this list of social horror novels similar to the movie here: https://bookriot.com/2017/03/24/social-horror-novels-for-fans-of-get-out/

Anyone read the books listed before or do you have any recommendations? 😊 TIA!

#socialhorrornovels

AmyG I‘d never heard of the genre social horror. Now I need to check these out. Get Out was a crazy (in a good sense) movie. 6y
thereadingowlvina @AmyG It's a new term for me too. Learnt it today 😁 Yes, Get Out was crazy and good! 6y
23 likes2 comments
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kait.corum
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

It took me some time to get my first #freakyfriday pick finished, due to a surprisingly speedy move and unpacking.
But, I FINALLY had a little time to sit down and relax and knock this one out and... Wow. I'll be thinking about this one for a while, and I'll definitely be seeking out Victor LaValle again.
Next stop, The Devil All the Time (gotta get my devil kick over with, I guess?)!

@Clwojick @monalyisha @ohyeahthatgirl

ohyeahthatgirl I loved Devil All the Time, but holy cats it's bleak. I'm so glad you liked Devil in Silver! I've not read anything by LaValle that I've disliked. 6y
kait.corum I really liked his style! The library has a few more of his, so maybe when I'm not working my way through this challenge... >.> 6y
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kait.corum
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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I'm finally getting started on my challenge! @ohyeahthatgirl , this pick's description absolutely won me over. I'm super excited for it!

ohyeahthatgirl Victor LaValle is one of my favorites! 6y
kait.corum I put a handful of his other books on my "read later" list :) 6y
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Callemarie
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

So for some reason I thought this book was we going to be scary? I have absolutely no idea where I got that perception from haha. But I did enjoy this book. I loved the characters and how the author wrote them. I loved peppers character. I thought it was interesting adding Van Gogh as this somewhat passion/obsession of peppers and kind of ironic to choose van gogh in a book about characters within a mental hospital. Overall it was a good book

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TsahaiMakeda
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

Woah! This is some good storytelling here!

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tattoo55
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Just a little Over The Garden Wall as a palate cleanser, then straight in The Devil in Silver. @24in48 #hour 18+

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BeckyLeJ
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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I could get used to this!

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ValChanelle
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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#HalloweenVibes for the weekend. I have a busy few days ahead of me, but I'm going to try to relax with #VictorLaValle as much as I can. #horror #mystery #diversebooks

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Angitron
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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My planned spooky reading for October! It took me awhile to decide on what to read, but I'm finally happy with it. I think I have a nice ratio of fun vs. truly scary books so that things don't get *too* dark and heavy!

BekahB Awesome picks! I loved The Devil in Silver and what I read of Ghost Summer. I still have a couple of stories to finish, but Due's writing is eerie and beautiful. 7y
Natasha.C.Barnes I've been meaning to read The Yellow Wallpaper for ages! 7y
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CatLass007 Just checked My Favorite Thing is Monsters out of the library. 7y
quietlycuriouskate The Yellow Wallpaper is powerful stuff: so claustrophobic! 7y
Angitron @Kristy_K I'm glad to hear that! It's one of those books I've been wanting to read for a long time. 7y
Angitron @BekahB Yay! I was curious about The Devil in Silver. I picked it up because I read LaValle's Ballad of Black Tom and really enjoyed it. Glad to hear it was good! 7y
Angitron @CatLass007 Awesome!!! A friend of mine has been trying to get it from her local library for awhile and it's always checked out. Very popular book, so it's good you were able to get a copy! 7y
Angitron @Natasha.C.Barnes Me too! It's been sitting on my Kindle for far too long. 😕 7y
Angitron @River_Voice I'm glad to hear you liked it. I'm really excited to finally read it! 7y
CatLass007 @Angitron it was sitting right on the shelves; no waiting necessary. 7y
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BekahB
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Hour 18: Interested in reading diverse horror? I highly recommend Stephen Graham Jones, Victor LaValle, and Tananarive Due. If you want to try horror comics, Junji Ito is truly a horror manga master and while the storyline of Locke & Key is amazing, it's Gabriel Rodriguez's beautiful artwork that makes the story come alive.

The books in this stack are at the top of my TBR. Some are part of my #24in48 reading plans!

#WeNeedDiverseBooks
#OwnVoices

vivastory SGJ, Lavalle & Locke & Key. You mentioned my favorites in this one post...👏👍🤘I just read volume 1 of Harrow County yesterday. Are you a fan? I was quite impressed by it. 7y
BekahB @vivastory I picked up Harrow County volume 1 on a whim and loved it! I need to catch up. I've read through volume 2 but I think the 6th volume is already coming out in October! 7y
vivastory @bekahb That's great news. I have the first 3 volumes checked out from the library. I had no idea that there are that many volumes. 7y
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rach_simone
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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This book takes place in Queens, NY. I plan on reading it for #BookRiotReadHarder and it works for #riotgrams #SetNearWhereYouLive It looks creepy and awesome!!

vivastory Great book. 7y
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saresmoore
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Oh, hey, that's me! I'm a pretentious American twit (of the ginger variety).

I'm not entirely sure where LaValle is going with this Van Gogh tangent. The book so far is a good story, but it's practically an essay on racism and the failings of American social programs by way of a somewhat strange story set in a mental institution...with a monster. It's definitely unique! Thriller or horror, though? No way.

RanaElizabeth I was at times confused, enthralled, and bored by this book. But ultimately, it was pretty amazing with some damning statements on mental health care. I hope you like it too! 7y
saresmoore @RanaElizabeth I think that's about where I'll land! I'm definitely enjoying it. 7y
LeahBergen I had a prof in university that said it's pronounced "van GOFF" - he was pretentious and a CANADIAN twit. ? Whatcha crocheting?? 7y
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LauraBeth 😂😂 7y
saresmoore @LeahBergen Ahahaha! I'm making a tiny cat bed for the girls' mischievous kitty stuffies. It's possible that I should be doing something more productive... 🙃 7y
LeahBergen @saresmoore No way! I can think of nothing more productive than enriching the childhood of your girls. 😘 7y
KaatjeH I'm Dutch and I have never called Van Gogh that... 🤔 7y
saresmoore @KaatjeH Haha! I always just heard it pronounced "Van Go" until I watched an episode of Dr. Who in which they called him "Van Goff". I think it's funny because he mostly signed his paintings with Vincent. How would you characterize the pronunciation? 7y
Moray_Reads I remember hearing somewhere that the initial g is pronounced like the "Ch" in loch and the "gh" is virtually silent so it's more like "hoe" ? 7y
KaatjeH Euhm how do you explain our Dutch G sound? I guess if you're not used to it, it's terrible. So I looked it up for you, not a great website but it has a couple of Dutch people saying the name: https://www.google.nl/amp/s/nl.forvo.com/word/vincent_van_gogh/amp 7y
Moray_Reads Also this is why I haven't been crocheting, because I can't read at the same time. How do you do that?! 7y
saresmoore @KaatjeH Thank you! 7y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads I can only do it if I'm working on a repetitive part of a project. Anything crocheted in the round or afghans are good for it. I'm practicing so I can still crochet if I ever lose my sight. (Seriously. Pessimistic, eh?) 7y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore you say pessimistic I say prepared! 7y
KaatjeH You're welcome (or graag gedaan if you want to practice some Dutch g's 😉) 7y
61 likes15 comments
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saresmoore
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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A sampling of on-the-go options for the #readathon.
#deweys24hrreadathon

Dance class, here I come! 👯

Reviewsbylola Good luck! 👏 7y
saresmoore @Reviewsbylola Thank you! In no way do I intend to achieve a goal, but I love giving the excuse to my kids, "I'm doing a readathon. Go play!" 7y
Reviewsbylola Lol I hope they listen! My kids wouldn't! 7y
ramyasbookshelf Ambitious pile :) good luck!! 7y
RealLifeReading Great picks! 7y
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Karionie
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

A deliciously cynical and rather unflinching examination of mental illness and mental health care. Has a lot to say about casual racism without ever getting preachy. This book wasn't what I expected when I found it on a list of "books about the devil" but it was enjoyable, and I guess it does deal with demons of the personal kind, and the triumph of the human spirit over them.

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Karionie
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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"YouTube!...To stumble across human beings with insipid thoughts, video cameras, and the utter lack of humility that made them use one to immortalize the other!"

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AVChrista
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Sounds like a fun read and I am still in a creepy, weird mood.

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rach_simone
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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#ReadJanuary There are so many books set in NYC. This one is set in Queens, which is my borough! #SetInYourCity #TBR #ReadHarder

vivastory Haven't read this one, but loved his book "The Ecstatic" 7y
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Nancethepants
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
Pickpick

I enjoyed this one much more than the last LaValle novel I read. He tackles the Byzantine injustices of mental health care with humor and horror, but above all humanity. The protagonist, Pepper, learns to navigate an unfamiliar world with the help of Vincent Van Gogh's letters, the newspaper clippings of lost souls, and the novel "Jaws." (And in the end, with hope.) It's an exhausting but worthwhile read.

annkuch13 Love this one!! 7y
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LadyBrik
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Weekend plans = seeing Moana with my boy and reading this gem alongside some very special friends! #TGIF #books #librarybooks #amreading #buddyread

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missberlyreads
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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27 likes2 comments
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mauveandrosysky
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Mehso-so

Interesting concept; the plot moves along at a swift pace with good commentary about mental illness and the inhumanity with which our society approaches it. The characters are well-developed (albeit very cliche), likable and worthy of sympathy. But ultimately it‘s just not compelling enough. LaValle takes his sweet time building to a climax that‘s utterly predictable and underwhelming—and while he‘s at it, drags the plot in too many directions.

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Books_Wine_Repeat
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Panpan

This a bail and pan. The first 40ish% was a horror story. What's being kept locked away in the mental hospital? What 'visits' the patients nights? Then a 'let's break in and see wtf is going on'. After that the story goes off in a strange direction, the protagonist gets a love interest. Then goes off on a Van Gogh tangent because he's reading a book about Van Gogh. He goes into a bio about the painter. Why!? What happened to the 'devil'? 😐🙄

Penny_LiteraryHoarders I read his "Big Machine" book and was left with a whole lot of WTF. He seems to like stuff dealing with the devil...it was a comment I made about Big Machine too - like a big "what are you trying to say? An alternative Christ? Devil children?" One was enough for me. ? I tried it out - it was very different from my normal type of book. Left with many questions. 8y
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Books_Wine_Repeat
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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"The nurses and orderlies looked at the computer as if it had betrayed them. They looked at one another to see which of them might volunteer for the task of inputting the information. Frankly, you'd have a better chance of getting a Korean to marry a black person."

WHAT!? ??

lisakoby 😳 what? 8y
NCNY Whoa. As a Korean-American, I give that sentence 18 zillion thumbs down. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻 8y
Gleefulreader Ohhh - not cool! 8y
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Books_Wine_Repeat @NCNY Ditto. 👎👎👎👎 This is not the only racist thing he's said but the one that I was like really? Did he just say that?! Not at all what I was expecting from this book. 8y
sherrynuts 😳 8y
read_diverse_books I like Victor LaValle. I've only read The Ballad of Black Tom, which was great. I'm curious about this book now... But that quote. A character in the story said it? Do you think it reflects LaValle's views? 8y
Reagan I have read such great reviews of this book and I just loathed it. I'm shocked that I finished it. It's actually turned me off reading anything else by him. 8y
Books_Wine_Repeat @read_diverse_books This is my first book by LaValle. The character that said this is white (LaValle is African American) so... is he saying white people are racists? I don't know. The character asks: "is that racist?" and replies to himself, "meh." 8y
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Noonnie
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Suzze Mmmmm....sounds wonderful. 8y
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Clarkknowles
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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Now this is what I call an opening line. So great. "They brought the big man in on a winter night when the moon looked as hazy as the heart of an ice cube."

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Devon_Kellee
The Devil in Silver | Victor LaValle
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"This economic prudence was supposed to affect everyone, but you could bet it was going to whip some people much worse."