Great Black Hope is a reflective story that focuses on how the life of its protagonist shifts in times of trouble. It has the feel of a late coming-of-age story, with its youthful main character being delivered a one-two punch of misfortune, starting with the death of his roommate and compounded by his arrest after a party gone wrong. A real highlight of the novel is how it shows Smith’s development over the course of the story, and starts taking control of his circumstances.

The book has quite a slow, meandering quality that I reckon is down to its lead character. Smith is an unusual perspective for a story to be told from; accustomed to a life of luxury, he comes across as quite a weak personality and is easily led by others into their own dramas, slowing down the pace of the story. It may be a deliberate choice for the character, but it definitely made the book less focused, and it took me longer to read than usual given the relatively short length. Great Black Hope tackles themes of both class and race over the course of the story, though personally I felt the former played a much bigger role than the latter. Unfair racial stereotypes are explored at times through the book, particularly in scenes involving the justice system, but the themes of class and privilege felt far more poignant and ever-present in the narrative.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review!

Great Black Hope is a novel about a well-off Black man living in New York City who is arrested for possessing cocaine in the aftermath of his roommate's death. Smith is always looking for the next party, previously with his friend Elle whose recent death has shocked him and their circle of friends and acquaintances. When he's arrested in the Hamptons, he suddenly sees a different side to the system, as well as the position he holds as a Black man who is also a graduate and from a well-off family.

This book dives deep into the world of the protagonist, Smith, and his life as a young queer Black man in New York City, surrounded by the potential for downward spiral amongst the great expectations for his life, and others living in similar circumstances. At a simple level, it explores race and class, and how they both impact each other when it comes to how people are treated and exist in the world. There's also New York City nightlife and the stark reality of the court system in the US, there's addiction and sobriety and what we do and don't do for our friends. I liked how Franklin builds up this picture of Smith's social circle, feeling like an updated version of 80s and 90s stories centred around New York City parties and restaurants, but also people and communities outside of this, and how Smith's world in New York is only one snapshot.

There's not that much of a narrative to this book, despite elements of mystery and investigations, and it feels far more focused on character and vibe, which is does well. Great Black Hope is an updated version of the New York City party novel, in which intersections of race and class are explored to consider who can progress up and who can be in a downward spiral.

Great Black Hope follows Smith who is in turmoil after being arrested for possession of cocaine. He is struggling after being pulled into the court system as his friend Elle dies at the same time. As a black man his race does not protect him but his class does. Smith returns to his hometown of Atlanta but ends up going back to New York and back to his old ways.

This really wasn’t for me. I can see this appealing to many people and I have to say the writing was really technically good, it felt high brow and classy. The story was quite dull to me and I was looking forward to the commentary on class and race as to how this affects the criminal justice system but I just don’t connect to this. I found it flat and just don’t have strong feelings towards this.