“The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coates – Son of the Free Underground

Ta-Nehisi Coates is quickly gaining a reputation in the literary world as an author who dares to explore the tragic chapters in American history, never wanting them to be left forgotten.

In The Water Dancer, he takes us to the immensely bloody calamity which was the American Civil War as we follow a young man named Hiram in search of his long lost mother, as well as his own place in a world torn asunder by conflict.

Ta-Nehisi Coates Begins Hiram's Quest for Freedom

Though it was abolished over one hundred and fifty years ago in the United States, slavery still remains a hot topic of conversation to this very day and even serves as an element of foundation for some peoples' worldviews.

In the realms of literature, we have countless non-fiction books, memoirs and biographies which seem to be incessantly published year after year, despite us being further and further removed from the subject.

I wouldn't think it possible after all this time, but the domain of fiction is still very much inspired to originality by this topic, as is the case with Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Water Dancer.

Taking us to the mid-19th-century to America, a land constantly torn apart by wars and armed conflicts, we make the acquaintance of Hiram, born into shackles on a Virginia plantation.

Though he is gifted with a special kind of photographic memory (referred to as Conduction), the only thing he doesn't remember about his life is his mother, taken away when he was still too young to know her. While his life on the plantation isn't all too terrible from his perspective, he still yearns for freedom and to find his long-lost mother.

Without giving too much away, Hiram eventually sets out on a grand journey across America from South to North, trying to find his place in the world and the only missing piece from the puzzle which is his memory.

Along the way he witnesses the harsh brutality which has taken hold over the country, and even decides to start making a real difference in the world by working for the famous Underground Railroad.

There he meets Harriet Tubman herself, who finally teaches him how to harness his power of Conduction, finally giving him a true purpose in his life none other could fulfill. However many people Hiram helps though, his family is still back on the crumbling plantation, and it feels as if their days might be counted.

A Quieter Perspective on Slavery

For very understandable reasons, slavery is a topic which is often shouted about and painted in the most dramatic colours possible in hopes of recreating a tiny fraction of the pain, terror and sacrifices those people were forced to endure.

Quite rightfully, most authors choose not to mince words or delve into euphemisms, instead trying to depict the naked truth of human brutality so it might stay with us. In The Water Dancer, Coates took a different and I believe somewhat daring approach, keeping his voice more quiet and subdued.

Without going into every single detail, he omits the use of words such as slaves and masters, instead referring to them as the “tasked” and the “quality”. He doesn't take up huge paragraphs to decry acts of immorality, but instead presents it all through the eyes of Hiram as if it was part of the natural order of things.

Personally-speaking, this choice made me feel as if I was almost exploring an alternate reality, an alien world which defied certain conventions. It certainly made the voyage more interesting, if only for the fact we avoid the beats and paths usually trodden.

I believe the aspect of magical realism also plays a role in making this book “softer” on the slavery aspect than many of its peers. While it is quite subdued and rarely takes the center stage, it still makes its way into the heart of the story and sometimes creates happy outcomes where they probably wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

While this does cast a bit of a shadow on the actual efforts escaping slaves had to go through and the genius of Harriet Tubman, I think it's acceptable considering it is, after all, a work of fiction and not a biography.

The Great Journey Up North

While this book is without a doubt anchored and guided by the topic of slavery, at the heart of it is the compelling story of a young man going on his own dangerous odyssey with only vague hopes for a better tomorrow.

Hiram seems like an exceptionally understanding and calm protagonist, especially considering the environment he was born into, but he always remains true to himself, even while developing as a person.

He might take a bit of time to get used to, but ultimately I couldn't help but root for this young man, his humanity and ultimate determination. His personal point of view also often helps to communicate the gravity of the situation for his family, slaves and the plantation.

The plot itself was actually pretty packed with various twists and turns, which I certainly didn't expect coming into this novel. It was a pleasant surprise to have my expectations defied time and time again, and I was quite happy to see Coates was able to maintain his quality of storytelling until the end of the book.

While it is true some people might find this pace tiring, I believe the author cobbled it all together in a very natural and free-flowing way, to the point where you keep asking yourself why you didn't see the twists coming.

The only aspect of the book which I might have something against is the inconsistency when it comes to the type of storytelling we are presented with, or more precisely, the style. At the start, the scenes, events and characters feel hazy, and even surreal to a certain extent.

Suddenly, the hammer of realism is brought down upon us, and we spend the next few chapters underneath it, until suddenly the style changes again. While there is a definite purpose to these changes, I feel like they would have been better understood had Coates transitioned into them more carefully.

The Final Verdict

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a powerful novel about a young man's odyssey towards freedom and finding his long-lost family, all of it anchored around the blight which was slavery in 19th-century America.

If this is a topic you like to explore through the realms of fiction, then I definitely recommend you give this novel a shot.

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Ta-Nehisi Coates Personal site Ta-Nehisi Coates is an American journalist, educator and writer who is a National Correspondent for The Atlantic where his writings revolve around cultural, political and social issues, particularly in the African-American community. In 2008 he published his first book, a memoir titled The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood.