The Fugitivities

by Jesse McCarthy

After a difficult first year teaching at a Brooklyn public high school, Jonah Winters decides to leave his job to vagabond through South America with his friend Octavio. Before he departs, Jonah has a troubled night of revelry and self-destruction, only to be rescued from arrest by former basketball star Nathaniel Archimbald who brings him back to his Bronx home.

While recovering from his hangover, Jonah converses with Nathaniel about former lives and loves. The son of American expats, Jonah recalls living a cushy post-undergraduate life in Paris working as an apprentice film projectionist, a one-time girlfriend that still has his heart, and the decision to teach in Brooklyn.

Nathaniel tells Jonah that he too has lived in Paris, where he resumed the studies he had abandoned to play basketball professionally. There he fell in love with a Parisian graduate student named Laura Pertrossian, who abruptly left not only him, but her entire life for a South American destination unknown. Nathaniel, in his grief, returned him to coach basketball for kids living in low-income neighborhoods.

When he is unable to persuade Jonah to remain a teacher, Nathaniel hands him a letter to give to Laura were he to find her during his travels. Jonah and Octavio depart for Rio de Janeiro where Jonah discovers how different it is to be a black North American in South America. When Octavio falls in love with a Brazilian art student, Jonah finds himself making his way down the Southern Cone alone where a chance encounter will change the way he sees everything.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Race

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Basia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wowed by Jesse McCarthy's essay collection, Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul, I came into The Fugitivities with very high hopes. Ultimately my expectations were not exactly unmet, but not surpassed either. This novel has the same intelligent scope as McCarthy's essay collection, but in a way, this becomes an issue in the novel: each character has so many unwieldy opinions on how the world is or ought to be, and McCarthy gives them free rein to voice these thoughts at every turn, resulting in numerous manifestos and monologues that make for an occasionally choppy reading experience. McCarthy attempts to make this work by utilizing lengthy flashbacks, pensive letters and heated conversations, and while the ambition is evident, the execution was a bit wonky.

[Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do intend to write out more detailed thoughts on this. I'll just simply state that McCarthy has style. I hope he writes a plethora of novels.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fugitivities follows Jonah on a spontaneous trip to South America with his friend Octavio. This is a modern take on the expat novels that jaunt around postwar Europe.

The coincidental encounters (typical of this genre) are all fairly enjoyable to read in this iteration. Jonah gains new perspectives on race, sex, violence, and political conflict. The characters are well-developed.

The downfall of this type of novel is often that explicitly trying to teach wisdom can lead the author into self-indulgence. Fugitivities is no exception—the scene about the exhausting literary party serves the author more than it serves the story. At time, the story drags because there is not enough plot holding it together in the middle.

“Love in a marriage should resemble a long meal.”

I am grateful to both the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jennifer Plante · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. A rambling stream of conscience work that really says very little about anything. Women are barely present except for sex and pining. If you’re interested in learning more about either race relations or South American history, read something else.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are these strings of ennui running all through The Fugitivities, pulling Jonah everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Recognizing the futility of life and also, simultaneously, the possibilities within it. Within himself.
Beautifully written, full of hope and despondency, this is one of those books you wish was filled with real people with real lives so you could see what happened next and where they are now. Does Jonah ever figure it out? Can he? Did Laura go anywhere?
And then you realize that somewhere, these people are out there, and they've made the choices that made sense to them at the time.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just think this wasn't my preferred writing style and found it hard to stay engaged as the book progressed.

[Saaval · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my perspecive the author is truly addictive.

[Ariatna B. Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting, the way in which the story unfolds, generates mystery, with the different characters

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the writing

And would be interested in another book by this author, but this particular story didn’t appeal to me very much. Millennial goes on a journey to figure out what he wants from life. I wasn’t too interested in the character or his story.

[Naeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel a largely successful attempt to overcome two problems: (1) the U.S.-centricism of black U.S. literature, meaning, that this literature tends to avoid the rest of the world; and (2) how to say something about blackness in the U.S. when a writer becomes of aware of such US-centeric tendencies.

Just the framing of the problem in this way is, in my view, MaCarthy's major achievement. I found the novel full of narrative drive, suffused with characters I could particularize, and insightful in its ability to push past the usual tropes of black writing while still addressing the role of Black USians in the US and in the world.

Sometimes a good ending is the difference between a wonderful experiment and a great novel. I think that is the case here. The conclusion is satisfying but I am not sure what it says about the issues McCarthy raises so creatively.

I hope to read another novel by this author that furthers this line of exploration.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fugitivities is a novel which explores philosophy, race, and gender roles. The main character, an African American (Frenchman) in his 30s, is well drawn, with many positive traits and some flaws that make him relate-able, even for me, a white man in his sixties. I found the events and character description to be stimulating and educational. I had not had a lot of exposure to African American culture, and this book helped me to understand and appreciate the hardships African Americans face. The plot was engaging and unpredictable. Best of all, the author's excellent descriptions and eloquence are a pleasure to read. The only defect, with which others may not agree, is the main character's despair, or angst that permeates his attitude and behavior. Again, others may find this same character quality as being transparent and honest, and rate it five stars.

The Fugitivities is provocative. I have thought about it a lot since I finished it.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a few attempts to get into The Fugitivities audiobook. But when I started over at Chapter 1--and listened without multitasking--it really captured me. And I listened to the entire book (while painting!) on a Sunday afternoon.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. Jesse McCarthy's characters were well-developed, each with their own tangential stories. (My favorite among them was Nathaniel, the ex-NBA player). I also loved the global nature of the book -- it was set in New York City, then Paris and then South America.

But most of all, I loved the messages about race and interracial love. And especially what it's like to live as a Black man amongst friends and strangers -- and how one finds a self-identity in other cultures.

This is a great work of art from a debut author. It was well done as an audiobook and I enjoyed the narration by Corey Allen. Special thanks to Recorded Books for an advanced listener copy via the NetGalley app.

[Louis Giancola · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many things I loved about this book. In particular, the author captures the internal struggle we all face with doing what pleases versus applying our energy and resources to the ills of society. He also does a wonderful job of describing the complex human relationships we all have. He describes both from the perspective of a young, Black college graduate, but I read them as universal.
I struggled with the unrealistic encounters with Nate Archibald and with Nate’s long-lost love. These amazing connections seemed forced and detracted from the believability of the story. Having said that, I’m glad I read this book.

[Mike N · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this is really two books. One started out magnficently as a young public school teacher in Brooklyn trying to figure it all out and finding a mentor by happenstance. The second (and unfortunately longer) portion is a fairly anodyne account of a backpacker in Brazil in Uruguay. Loved the descriptive prose but didn't feel that compelled by the character and I still have no idea if it ended or just petered out. But, it helped me discover a land to which I had no prior exposure so there's that.

[Kenneth Chanko · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of ideas, cultural commentary, and sociological history in which varying opinions are assigned to characters who then often launch into pages-long soliloquies, if not rants. It got better toward the end, but the narrative flow of this novel was—especially toward the beginning with extended flashbacks—pretty rough. I often thought I was reading linked essays or snippets of memoir rather than a full-bodied novel. I think I’d appreciate McCarthy’s nonfiction book, “Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul?,” more so than his fiction.

[Winthrop Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fugitive is the last page which I didn't get to read.

The answer might be so what? Was this the story of a poet in need of material? Hence the travel. Was this the story of being Black, a Black man, in the Americas? Was this told in the right direction? Should a fortune meeting have been the start, the first part then told going back in time, and then the rest of the book? Did a relative's investment get a good return, a meaningful return?

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tedious and clunky. The language is distractingly florid (“the thought of ambulating alone any longer, any farther, brought a leaky lightness to his bones”) and the plot was insipid, trite and dull.

Disappointing - it could have been interesting. I think he tried to do too much with too many unnecessary plot threads.

[Du · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and engaging story about a college grad looking for something in life to focus on. Prose is enjoyable and the pace works well. A bit jarring at times with the story in a story, but it works well.

[Edie · Rating 1 out of 5]

feel like this one was doing too much. the first fourth of the novel felt like it was leading somewhere substantial, only for the rest of the book to be a streaming ramble that aside from the contexts of belonging and race fell flat to me.

[Dale Barlow]

07.11.2021: per NY Times The Shortlist/Debut Novels recommendation; at both of the Madison County Public Libraries...;

[OjoAusana · Rating 3 out of 5]

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* not what i would normally read/lots of drama/romance than i normally read but the characters were interesting and it was not a bad read

[Weckea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasant novel. However, it needs a new title.

[Yonit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one, some beautiful writing but it felt uneven. The plot meanders.

[Chloé Louessard chloé louessard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved that book, i was addicted to it, it describes well the beauty and poetry of life, very good to make you think about your surroundings
& finally very inspiring in terms of art and creativity

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent writing narrated by a lost young man, 3.8

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

so bullish on the novel form after reading this

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

"But the North Star in the age of the satellite is everywhere and nowhere. There would be no outrunning in this brave new world; whatever you had, whatever you could hold onto, you would have to make into a home. And he understood that he was looking at what he could not see before. The circumference of his errant life, his ceaseless fugitivity. A line without relief." from the thoughts of the main character Jonah.