The Ballad of Black Tom
The end of October only means one thing. Its Spooky Season. What better way to keep the spirit alive than curl up with a mug of hot apple cider and a good horror novel? When Shaunice first asked me to be part of this series that’s exactly what I expected to do when we decided I would read The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. Instead, a got a much more immersive experience than I bargained for. You see, while reading this book, my partner and I also finally began watching Love Craft Country. (shhhh don’t shame us we got HBO late) And while the description of The Ballad of Black Tom mentioned some connections to Lovecraft I honestly didn’t expect the themes in both storylines to be so parallel.
““I Bear a hell within me,” Black Tom growled. “And finding myself unsympathized with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin.”
“You’re a monster, then,” Malone said.
“I was made one.””
The Ballad of Black Tom is a classic bogeyman story in two parts. However, unlike the classic stories of our childhood, we don’t start from the end where the “monster” terrorizes all. We, instead, start from the creation of the “monster”. What would normally be reserved for the small flash back in a white centered narrative is fully fleshed out and explained. We meet a young black man with a yearning to be a “prince in a new world”. 20 year old Charles Thomas Tester hustled hard to provide a home for himself and his father when a meeting with a new client puts him on the wrong side of the NYPD. As history and recent events have told us, that does not pan out well for black folx. The trauma of certain events leads Tommy down a path that informs the second half of our story. A bogeyman tale told from the eyes of a white “hero”.
“Nobody ever thinks of himself as a villain, does he? Even monsters hold high opinions of themselves.”
But what LaValle has done so well in the writing of the book is clearly state that there are no heroes. Honestly, the monster of the story isn’t even our bogeyman. The narrators of both halves of the story are very candid about the lies told to, by, and around each character. Nothing is taken at face value. Therefore, neither should the story. It’s written not only to give you a scare but also to make you think. A subsection of horror that has seen a real resurgence in recent years. The tackling of social issues in a horror format can be found in classics like The Stepford Wives or in more recent films like Jordan Peele’s Get Out. For that reason, its no surprise that Love Craft Country, another one of Jordan Peele’s babies, falls right in line. Victor’s text and Love Craft Country ask a questions that have stayed on my mind long after the story finished.
Who is the real monster? What would they do if we actually became the monsters they say we are?
““Every time I was around them, they acted like I was a monster. So I said goddamnit, I’ll be the worst monster you ever saw!””
What would become of the world if the beaten and downtrodden retaliated with the same energy? They say an eye for an eye make the whole world blind. But what if half of the world is refusing to see? How do you make someone open their eyes? Can you? Black Tom forcibly attempts to make the white “savior” do just that. See. Make sure he can never turn a blind eye again. But did it work? I, personally, don’t think it did. That’s up to you, the next reader, to decide.
Now while the story is a compelling and fast read, it may be too fast. The true climax of the story happens almost entirely in a single chapter and when I turned the last page I honestly didn’t realize it was over. It didn’t feel complete. But maybe that’s what Victor wanted. To make sure we understood that the fight was not over. I’m not really too sure. What I do know is what he did so beautifully well. Tell a version of a story we’ve heard for years while letting us in on the truth we all seek.
