The Beginning
The novel opens with a metaphorical description of the night in Harlem which sets the stage for the tone throughout. Metaphor becomes imagery which creates a relentless connection between what is literally being described and the mood and atmosphere of the investigation into the murder of the conjure man.
“Encountering the bright-lighted gaiety of Harlem’s Seventh Avenue, the frigid midwinter night seemed to relent a little. She had given Battery Park a chill stare and she would undoubtedly freeze the Bronx. But here in this mid-realm of rhythm and laughter she seemed to grow warmer and friendlier, observing, perhaps, that those who dwelt here were mysteriously dark like herself.”
The Conjure Man
The conjure man is real and he is quite literal. His name is Frimbo. But the conjure man lives life as a metaphor because, well, that’s what conjuror’s do, right? He is an interesting character for a corpse. Or something like it, anyway. And metaphor is often engaged to lend him a definite veil of mystery even removed from that of his death. Or something like it, anyway:
“As they stood watching, the darkness beyond the table condensed into a black figure, much as mist might condense into a cloud. This figure silently came to occupy the chair beneath the light. Then from it issued the low rich voice of Frimbo.”
Dialogue
The dialogue between characters crackles with intensity, revealing the author as the possessor of a genuinely finely tuned gift for expressing character through how people speak to each other. The example occurs midway through what seems to be an intensification of a disagreement between two men destined to reach the point of fisticuffs. Turns out, however, they are profoundly close friends putting on a show. Even so, this example of just one of the insults hurled is masterly:
“Don’t worry, son. Nobody’ll ever know how ugly you is. Yo’ ugliness is shrouded in mystery.”
Character within Setting
Fisher is truly gifted in the art of metaphorical description. He uses similes in his character descriptions the way an artist attacks a blank canvas. The true test of talent comes in his ability to create metaphorical imagery delineating how characters respond to place and he passes this test in the best way possible: by not drawing attention to his craft:
“His front door closed behind him, and he stood contemplating the high narrow edifice across the dark street. It was two minutes to seven; the air was sharp and ill-disposed and snapped at him in passing.”
The Unforgettable Mrs. Aramintha Snead
In a book overflowing with memorable characters, Mrs. Aramintha Snead truly sticks. She is a god-fearing woman whom maybe—perhaps—God might fear a little in return. Her religious fervor also allows the opportunity for the author to pursue the novel’s obsession with darkness without and darkness within:
“Hit’s for his soul we prayin’—his soul so deep-dyed, so steeped, so black in sin. Wash him, Lawd. Wash him and he shall be whiter than snow. Take from him every stain of transgression, and bleach him out like a clean garment in the sunlight of righteousness.”
