What do you think?
Rate this book
As Lie Is to Grin: A Novel
David, the narrator of Simeon Marsalis's singular first novel, is a freshman at the University of Vermont who is struggling to define himself against the white backdrop of his school. He is also mourning the loss of his New York girlfriend, Melody, whose grandfather's alma mater he has chosen to attend. When David met Melody, he told her he lived with his drug-addicted single mother in Harlem, a more intriguing story than his own. This lie haunts and almost unhinges him as he attempts to find his true voice and identity.
On campus in Vermont, David imagines encounters with a student from the past who might represent either Melody's grandfather or Jean Toomer, the author of the acclaimed Harlem Renaissance novel, Cane (1923). He becomes obsessed with the varieties of American architecture "upon land that was stolen," and with the university's past and attitudes as recorded in its newspaper, The Cynic. And he is frustrated with the way the Internet and libraries are curated, making it difficult to find the information he needs to make connections between the university's history, African-American history, and his own life.
In New York, the previous year, Melody confides a shocking secret about her grandfather's student days at the University of Vermont. When she and her father collude with the intent to meet David's mother in Harlem—craving what they consider an authentic experience of the black world—their plan ends explosively. The title of this impressive and emotionally powerful novel is inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "We Wear the Mask" (1896): "We wear the mask that grins and lies. . . ." There is much to be learned from Simeon Marsalis's As Lie Is to Grin.
On campus in Vermont, David imagines encounters with a student from the past who might represent either Melody's grandfather or Jean Toomer, the author of the acclaimed Harlem Renaissance novel, Cane (1923). He becomes obsessed with the varieties of American architecture "upon land that was stolen," and with the university's past and attitudes as recorded in its newspaper, The Cynic. And he is frustrated with the way the Internet and libraries are curated, making it difficult to find the information he needs to make connections between the university's history, African-American history, and his own life.
In New York, the previous year, Melody confides a shocking secret about her grandfather's student days at the University of Vermont. When she and her father collude with the intent to meet David's mother in Harlem—craving what they consider an authentic experience of the black world—their plan ends explosively. The title of this impressive and emotionally powerful novel is inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "We Wear the Mask" (1896): "We wear the mask that grins and lies. . . ." There is much to be learned from Simeon Marsalis's As Lie Is to Grin.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2017
23 people are currently reading
663 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 1, 2018
A beautifully told, relentlessly uncompromising, frequently funny and ultimately unsettling story about a young Black man trying to define his own selfhood while at the same time immersing himself in a white-white culture.
The storytelling is fragmentary and at times frustratingly oblique. It reminded me somewhat of Tom McCarthy's Remainder, which is saying something, because McCarthy's novel is written from the perspective of a man with severe brain damage who is trying and failing to make sense of the world, whereas this novel's protagonist is highly sensitive and intelligent and observant and talented, but is surrounded by white people who frequently behave in baffling ways to him. The actions of those around him (and their reaction to his simple existence as a black man) are nearly as incomprehensible to him as McCarthy's protagonist finds the people in his world. In both novels the first-person narrators try to make sense of their experiences by cataloguing their surroundings in minute detail. In both cases their observations are so unusual and so limited that the effect is one of extreme isolation and disorientation.
This writing is far more multivalent than McCarthy's, though. It is richer and more intellectual. There is so much going on in terms of history and identity. On nearly every page a sentence would come along that would make me gasp and laugh at the same time, a little implosion of surprise and delight that felt a little like being socked metaphorically in the gut.
This novel has no guideposts. It doesn't explain itself. I enjoyed this aspect very much and didn't mind whether my interpretations might have been unintended by the author or not. To enjoy the novel requires quite a lot of willingness to be not quite sure what to think about it as you read along. The scrupulous details--the oddness of events and observations made--carried me completely past the need to ground my understandings in a consistenly plausible, if fictional, reality. The degree to which you enjoy not having everything laid out for you as a reader is a good measure for how much you will enjoy it.
The storytelling is fragmentary and at times frustratingly oblique. It reminded me somewhat of Tom McCarthy's Remainder, which is saying something, because McCarthy's novel is written from the perspective of a man with severe brain damage who is trying and failing to make sense of the world, whereas this novel's protagonist is highly sensitive and intelligent and observant and talented, but is surrounded by white people who frequently behave in baffling ways to him. The actions of those around him (and their reaction to his simple existence as a black man) are nearly as incomprehensible to him as McCarthy's protagonist finds the people in his world. In both novels the first-person narrators try to make sense of their experiences by cataloguing their surroundings in minute detail. In both cases their observations are so unusual and so limited that the effect is one of extreme isolation and disorientation.
This writing is far more multivalent than McCarthy's, though. It is richer and more intellectual. There is so much going on in terms of history and identity. On nearly every page a sentence would come along that would make me gasp and laugh at the same time, a little implosion of surprise and delight that felt a little like being socked metaphorically in the gut.
This novel has no guideposts. It doesn't explain itself. I enjoyed this aspect very much and didn't mind whether my interpretations might have been unintended by the author or not. To enjoy the novel requires quite a lot of willingness to be not quite sure what to think about it as you read along. The scrupulous details--the oddness of events and observations made--carried me completely past the need to ground my understandings in a consistenly plausible, if fictional, reality. The degree to which you enjoy not having everything laid out for you as a reader is a good measure for how much you will enjoy it.
August 20, 2017
A convoluted mix of dreams, visions, history, relationships and lies. The story comes off as incoherent and although I think the author was swinging for the fences with an over reaching prose unfortunately he missed. The story of David in a interracial relationship before he goes off to the University of Vermont, is scattered with holes, mostly unfolded. The course of the novel is multidirectional, but the feel is directionless leading to a lack of clarity. So what we get is some good, at times great writing but a vortex of a story causing unnecessary confusion. The writing talent is apparent, this story and plot just didn't work well enough for that talent to consistently shine. ⭐️⭐️/5. Thanks to Edelweiss and Catapult Publishing for an advanced ecopy. Book publishes 10/10/2017
November 17, 2017
I admit, it took me quite a while to get into this story. A big part of it was the format. I was at least fifty pages in before I realized that some of the story was interspersed with the narrator's failed attempt at a novel. My ARC of this book (provided to me by the publisher via a Shelf Awareness giveaway) was only 150, so that's a long time to find footing in a story. Still, I enjoyed the journey to the end so much, I went back and read the whole thing a second time, and that's where I found the beauty of this novel. At its heart, it's a story about David, a young college student who is spending a lot of his time thinking about his interactions with Melody, his former girlfriend, and her father, a famous artist. As he wanders through his college campus in Vermont, and as he wanders through New York City, he reflects on the architecture, and the history of those who created it.
The quiet obsessions and the haunting thoughts are what makes this story shine. It is not a "book about race" but it is very much a wondering about living life in this time as a young black man. It doesn't point fingers but it does show the hypocrisy of those who remember and record, and how that shapes our history. It doesn't blame, but it does ruminate about what it means to look to the past, and be unable to find the answers you know are there. It does show the collective guilt of Americans, both white, and non-white (and those who pass) and how crazy our expectations for each other are.
The story is somewhat uneven, (lots of unnecessary scenes) and a little too short. I can see it being the shining star of a great short story collection, since it's a little too sparingly told to be called a novel. Nevertheless, Simeon Marsalis shows great promise, and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.
The quiet obsessions and the haunting thoughts are what makes this story shine. It is not a "book about race" but it is very much a wondering about living life in this time as a young black man. It doesn't point fingers but it does show the hypocrisy of those who remember and record, and how that shapes our history. It doesn't blame, but it does ruminate about what it means to look to the past, and be unable to find the answers you know are there. It does show the collective guilt of Americans, both white, and non-white (and those who pass) and how crazy our expectations for each other are.
The story is somewhat uneven, (lots of unnecessary scenes) and a little too short. I can see it being the shining star of a great short story collection, since it's a little too sparingly told to be called a novel. Nevertheless, Simeon Marsalis shows great promise, and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.
October 6, 2017
Such an original, funny-yet-heavy, inventive and dreamy debut exhibiting serious talent from Mr. Marsalis. As Lie Is to Grin has all the intellectual charm of so many other great short novels that came before it, and yet, I can't say that I've ever read anything like it.
September 29, 2017
A strange short novel, not quite plotless but a plot that is almost secondary to the narrator’s exploration of race, cultural appropriation, passing, and the performance (or not) of “blackness”. There are many trans-fictional elements involving the architecture of the University of Vermont and of Harlem (this is a very “New York” novel, if you know your way around the metropolitan area). If you haven’t read Jean Toomer’s Cane, that is a major touch point for the narrator and you should read it anyways bc it’s good.
October 16, 2019
As Lie Is to Grin reads like a creative writing student's work; in other words, there is a lot of promise in the author and flashes of brilliance, but overall the story lacks in coherence, character development, and plot.
Simply put, the narrator (David) is trying, as they say, to "find himself," and he struggles to navigate a world where he doesn't quite fit in. He is partly to blame for this due to his deceptions of others and (it seems to be implied) his own self-deceptions; partly, his struggle is framed in racial terms, as a black man in a white world. The setup is intriguing.
Unfortunately there isn't anything particularly unique in his struggle, nor special or idiosyncratic in his worldview. The characters are not very likable, nor are they highly unlikable -- forgettable, really. David's journey lacks any real profundity. Essentially, there is nothing here to draw you in, and very little to hold your attention or keep you emotionally invested. Yes, there is the big lie David tells his girlfriend in the part of the story that takes place in 2009, but as a reader, you know how it will play out as soon as it happens.
Marsalis is a fine writer; I just don't think this is a particularly good book. That said, I think he has potential to write something great and I plan to keep an eye out for his future work. Not to mention, thanks to this book, I plan to pick up a copy of Jean Toomer's Cane.
Simply put, the narrator (David) is trying, as they say, to "find himself," and he struggles to navigate a world where he doesn't quite fit in. He is partly to blame for this due to his deceptions of others and (it seems to be implied) his own self-deceptions; partly, his struggle is framed in racial terms, as a black man in a white world. The setup is intriguing.
Unfortunately there isn't anything particularly unique in his struggle, nor special or idiosyncratic in his worldview. The characters are not very likable, nor are they highly unlikable -- forgettable, really. David's journey lacks any real profundity. Essentially, there is nothing here to draw you in, and very little to hold your attention or keep you emotionally invested. Yes, there is the big lie David tells his girlfriend in the part of the story that takes place in 2009, but as a reader, you know how it will play out as soon as it happens.
Marsalis is a fine writer; I just don't think this is a particularly good book. That said, I think he has potential to write something great and I plan to keep an eye out for his future work. Not to mention, thanks to this book, I plan to pick up a copy of Jean Toomer's Cane.
December 21, 2017
3.5 stars - read this! Very short but powerful. A young African-American man dreams of being a writer and, growing up in NYC, gets in a relationship with a white woman named Melody that is the daughter of a famous artist. Part of David's allure to Melody is the trappings of wealth and comfort - her dad gives him an iPhone (in 2009), they have an extra apartment with a spare key, etc.
Still, David feels torn about his personal identity and the tarnished history of America - he focuses on monuments and buildings and their style to show the pattern of "colonial amnesia" in which blackness has been erased by America.
The diary sketches and jumps in narrative are very well executed - you never get lost, even if there are flashbacks and then flash forwards. David's relationship with women is perhaps a bit too simplistic - I wanted to know more about his mother and also see a bit more depth in Melody - but also perhaps accurate (uncomfortably so) for a 20 something male who is ending high school/about to go to college.
Still, David feels torn about his personal identity and the tarnished history of America - he focuses on monuments and buildings and their style to show the pattern of "colonial amnesia" in which blackness has been erased by America.
The diary sketches and jumps in narrative are very well executed - you never get lost, even if there are flashbacks and then flash forwards. David's relationship with women is perhaps a bit too simplistic - I wanted to know more about his mother and also see a bit more depth in Melody - but also perhaps accurate (uncomfortably so) for a 20 something male who is ending high school/about to go to college.
July 26, 2020
So. good. I picked this up at Center for Fiction during an event and am just now getting around to reading it. Made me think about the limitation of book flap copy. This copy -- describing a typical coming-of-age story of a college kid -- sounds very quotidian. However, the book, very much, is not. Do you want to read something that will allow you to see the world through the eyes of a singular artist? Do you want experience how modulations in narrative strategy can change your perspective on a character's journey? Do you want to see familiar streets in a way that makes them seem mysterious and magical? Do you want to read a book that's just not like any other book? If yes, then check this out. Really interesting, weird, different and occasionally slightly Nabakovian in little pockets of unexpected delight.
January 27, 2018
I was not enamoured with this first novel. The jacket descriptor is far different than what tale is told in the book. The main character, David, was frustrating. I get that he was trying to find himself as a young, black man but it also seemed like the author (a black man himself) played to typical stereotypes of young, black men, which was unfortunate. As I continued to read the novel, I became more frustrated at David because he was not very communicative, made bad attempts at introspection, and started to forumlate bad things based on his race even though there was really nothing there. In my opinion, the main character could have been any race and would have sparked the same frustrations in me. He brought it all on himself, not the external antagonists.
April 4, 2018
It sometimes feels like writers are trying to hard to be "good" writers. That the use of metaphor and symbolism go beyond prose and instead interfere with the message/story being imparted.
Of course, this is merely my opinion, and I am not the most educated for classical fiction.
All of this said, this was a very intriguing book, one in which I kept repeating the title to myself throughout the day and while in the middle of sections.
"As Lie is to Grin" bounces through a young man's life as he attempts to understand his place in the world, how his blackness intersects with those around him, and the broken family system that he has grown up within. I may have to give this a reread in a year or two in order to fully be able to appreciate the depth and nuance of this short novel.
Of course, this is merely my opinion, and I am not the most educated for classical fiction.
All of this said, this was a very intriguing book, one in which I kept repeating the title to myself throughout the day and while in the middle of sections.
"As Lie is to Grin" bounces through a young man's life as he attempts to understand his place in the world, how his blackness intersects with those around him, and the broken family system that he has grown up within. I may have to give this a reread in a year or two in order to fully be able to appreciate the depth and nuance of this short novel.
June 8, 2020
3.5 stars. An ambitious debut from a promising Black novelist, son of jazz legend Wynton. Simeon's book takes a conventional premise about muddled identities and the erasure of history and turns it on its head with a metafictional conceit that is at times very strong and other times burdensome. Nevertheless, it is a short read, with well-drawn characters and quality, measured prose. It is not too showy, nor does it have the algorithmic formality of MFA-style realism. This is the sort of book that one feels would've benefited from being the later work of an author and not their debut, but all else equal, the dexterity with which he pulls off this challenging structure is indicative of his above-average talents. Looking forward to more from him.
November 14, 2017
I want to give this 3.5 stars.
I read this in a single sitting. The relationship between David and his mother Doris were my favorite parts of the book. I wanted to hear more dialogue between the two of them and to learn more about the protagonist's childhood. The author is talented at being able to speak volumes by utilizing the space of what isn't said between two characters.
Parts of the novel can feel disjointed or not fully fleshed out. We don't spend too much time in any one place, with any one person, or memory, which can be disorienting. But when the scenes are slowed down and we are able to observe for a while it is a treat. Certainly worth a re-read and one I would recommend.
I read this in a single sitting. The relationship between David and his mother Doris were my favorite parts of the book. I wanted to hear more dialogue between the two of them and to learn more about the protagonist's childhood. The author is talented at being able to speak volumes by utilizing the space of what isn't said between two characters.
Parts of the novel can feel disjointed or not fully fleshed out. We don't spend too much time in any one place, with any one person, or memory, which can be disorienting. But when the scenes are slowed down and we are able to observe for a while it is a treat. Certainly worth a re-read and one I would recommend.
December 15, 2020
as evocative and shadowy as it is frustrating and a little clunky, marsalis' debut novel blurs the line between a novel and a 'book within a book.' recalling the autumn and winter of the protagonist's final year in high school, then juxtaposing that with fragments of his first semester in college, the disjointed nature of the narrative lends itself to the overall isolation and alienation the character perceives. it swirls around a lot of really big ideas but rarely does it land on one of them long enough to develop it, and the moment ultimately passes.
there are some absolutely jaw dropping passages in As Lie is To Grin, though, that will stay with me for a long, long time.
there are some absolutely jaw dropping passages in As Lie is To Grin, though, that will stay with me for a long, long time.
December 26, 2018
Well, I should admit that I didn’t finish this one, even though it’s only 150 pages. On Christmas Day, I got to pg 72 and decided it’s been a little too much effort. I loved the narrator’s voice, but there’s not much plot, and I couldn’t tell where this was going. I will compliment the author—I’ve known of a number of white stoner novels, and this is the first Black one I’ve encountered. I’m no stoner, so maybe that’s why I didn’t feel pulled in. I might give this one a try again next year; I really want to like this.
December 11, 2017
Oh. My. This. Book. I was honestly surprised this book didn't win the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize as it was by far my favorite book of the year, if not one of my favorite reads ever. Such a searing, creative, and insightful examination of modern American society and culture. I can't wait to read more of Marsalis's work - a writer to watch on what will surely be an impressive rise.
March 23, 2022
Immersive and dynamic. The book jacket describes it as the journey of a college student at NHU however spends more time looking back at earlier education periods. Nonetheless- it's full of deep, meaningful scenes of sensuality and thoughtful dialogue. The novel within a novel adds to the richness of the book's tapestry of culture, heritage, and race relations.
January 8, 2025
Buzzword bingo of oppression posing as literature, wrapped around a boring, inconsequential story. Sure it may all be very interesting to the author, but whatever passion he's got for his subjects (Jean Toomer, architecture, "stolen" land, going to college while black) he does not manage to convey in this novel.
Stuck with it because I kept hoping, but Obama represented hope too, and look how far that got us. Don't get duped, there's nothing to see here -unless you're Simeon Marsalis.
Stuck with it because I kept hoping, but Obama represented hope too, and look how far that got us. Don't get duped, there's nothing to see here -unless you're Simeon Marsalis.
March 29, 2018
I can see why this made the First Novel longlist; it is inventive and clever and stylish. It's also a bit meander-y and sometimes hard to follow. And I found the protagonist somewhat more annoying than I think I was intended to.
April 11, 2018
I didn't like the writing which made the story so disjointed and vague to me. It could be that the main character's anxious and a bit lost energy made the book's energy not very good for me as a reader. All in all, this one is not for me.
April 14, 2018
The writing was a bit stuffy for my taste. Although I did enjoy some of the visual descriptions, it didn’t feel like there was enough plot to hold it all together. It was an ambitious novel that just didn’t work for me.
January 12, 2018
Well it took me a while to get an understanding as to where this story was headed. Interesting approach, but left me wondering what was left out if it.
January 20, 2018
This is the best book I’ve read this year!
January 27, 2018
It was a good read, a high three stars. Marsalis has a lot of good writing ahead and will only get better.
February 7, 2018
3.5 //
April 3, 2018
Awesome.
April 27, 2019
I’m having a difficult time seeing how the pieces of this book are connected. I would have enjoyed the story with Melody just fine, but the other pieces ruined that.
May 26, 2020
reads like Teju Cole writing This Side of Paradise.
October 26, 2022
"All that came before informs us, and then is obscured by us."
"To grin is a red herring that distracts you from a lie. To lie is a red herring that distracts you from the truth."
"To grin is a red herring that distracts you from a lie. To lie is a red herring that distracts you from the truth."
October 3, 2017
Really more a series of essay ideas woven into a novella, none really making a ton of sense as a whole.
October 12, 2017
Congratulations to Simeon! Beautiful writing. A little complicated to read, but would make an excellent re-read. Pay close attention, because the narration jumps from story to the story within, the one the protagonist is writing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews