May 2006    

Cotton Author: Christopher P. Wilson Publisher: Publisher: Harcourt, Inc. $24.00 Cloth (314 p.) ISBN: 0151011230 B&T         YBP Reviewed by Sarah Buck, Continuations Bibliographer Cotton is a picaresque, a story on the road, chronicling the travels of Lee Cotton, a Mississippi boy born of a Black woman. Due to a freakish genetic phenomenon, Lee Cotton has pure white skin, blond hair and blue eyes, which makes things difficult, especially in the segregated South of the 1950's. In addition to the difficulties Lee experiences due to the color of his skin (such as the consideration he must invest in deciding at which end of the bus to sit), he is plagued by an ability to read minds. From the beginning of the novel, the reader is prepared for the extraordinary things that befall the protagonist. The novel's point of view gives new meaning to the term "first person omniscient" since Lee is truly able to perceive the inner monologue of others, and even has glimpses into the future when he is drafted into military service and meets a fellow paranormal receptor. Interspersed throughout the novel are the words of Les Voix (the voices Lee hears). This interspersion illustrates the intrusion of his afflictions, and also brings Les Voix into the story so fully, that they become a character of the book in themselves. Structurally, the book is carefully crafted. The first chapter is only four pages, but the rest are substantially meatier. This is not one of those three-to-seven paged chapter books, geared toward the casual reader who is validated by a sense of accomplishment after having turned a page. The novel does something wonderfully contemporary with the traditional picaresque: it uses vehicular imagery throughout to illustrate the varying stages of the protagonist's journey. This imagery is more than a representation of the novel's meaning: it's a device which works very well as a vehicle of plot. Cotton muses too much in its denouement, and overuses antonym as literary trope. These weak points, however, are far outweighed by the novel's solid structure, and its colorful, honest style. The novel, through its humor and the honest voice of Lee, explores basic questions about human nature, and specific evils such as racial bigotry, male chauvinism, and feminist exclusivism. This book is recommended for its literary luster, and for its social significance. Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.