As many of his critics have pointed out, the novel Damballah, of which "The Beginning of Homewood" is a part, marks the end of a fallow period for Wideman and signals the beginning of a new phase for him as a writer. Not surprisingly, then, some critics, expecting more of the same from the accomplished college professor and Rhodes scholar, were somewhat put off by his new thematic interests and stylistic innovations. On the other hand, some reviewers and critics saw the book as the culmination of Wideman's career up to that point.

Writing in the New York Times, reviewer Mel Watkins says that Wideman's latest work contains "the high regard for language and craft demonstrated in [his] previous books." He goes on to praise Damballah for its formal daring and departure from the rules of the novel. The book, he says, "is something of a...