Narrator

The first person narrator remains unnamed throughout the novel. Although he endeavors to introduce himself to the reader, he omits his name from his introduction. He is a single Black man who makes his living as a novelist. His most recent publication, Hell of a Book, has earned him a decent readership. In the narrative present, the narrator is on a book tour for this novel.

Although the narrator is pleased with his book, he also feels uncomfortable discussing it with others. He does not like when people ask what the book is about. He does not like when people interrogate him about his personal connection to the material. He wants to believe that the substance of Hell of a Book has come about entirely from his imagination, and is therefore entirely fictitious. Over the course of his tour, however, the narrator finds it increasingly difficult to avoid...