Brandon’s Reviews > The City of Refuge: The Collected Stories of Rudolph Fisher > Status Update

Oddly, in City of Refuge, the degree of white blood in a black person can take on personal significance, which matters more to a character-v-self plot than to a character-v-society plot.

Identity politics in City of Refuge occasionally focuses on race, but not in the white-v.-black conflicts dominate in many popular stories. Fisher is interested in how region or profession divides the black community.

“How came the fad?” From notoriety to celebration, the song after the first hit, or the first hit after the first cult classic?

“Give us more of your confidence and we will give you more of the truth.”

A Perfect Understanding in an omniscient ghost or guilty conscience?

The fortuitous coincidence of Jinx finding Bubber by accident leaves no room for more astonishment.

Rip prevails a little too easily.

Revolver on the bureau on first page of “Across the Airshaft.

“Skeeter” feels long after its title character’s invention of stomach cramps.

Skeeter encounters the quarantine complication.