The Wisdom to Know the Difference

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Walter Mosley (top) and Percival Everett.

I’ve written before about the appeal of changing-up what we read, but I’m going to approach that topic from a somewhat different angle this time.

Often, I like to bounce around with my choices of novels. Read something heavy, then light. Read something long, then short. Read something general-interest, then genre. Read something old, then new. Read something by a female author, then a male author. Etc.

But on occasion I deliberately “schedule” two or more books in a row that have certain similarities. Perhaps by the same author. Perhaps in the same genre. Perhaps written and/or set in a similar time period. And so on. It can put one in a reading rhythm that’s nice to experience occasionally.

I did that this month when I read Percival Everett’s Assumption and then Walter Mosley’s Down the River unto the Sea. Both novels are by prolific African-American male authors born in the 1950s, both feature African-American protagonists who work/worked in law enforcement, both have mystery elements, both are exceptionally written, both were published between 2010 and 2020…

But Assumption (which I liked) and Down the River unto the Sea (which I loved) are of course not that similar in many respects. Some examples:

— Ogden Walker of Everett’s novel is a deputy sheriff in a small New Mexico town, while Joe King Oliver of Mosley’s novel is a private investigator in Brooklyn who was a decorated New York City police officer until getting framed by enemies within the force.

— Walker is a loner; the brilliant Oliver has a family (a teen daughter and former wife).

— Assumption is marked by a certain relaxed, understated quality (despite several murders occurring) while Down the River unto the Sea possesses a more frenetic urban vibe that had me eagerly turning the pages.

— The Mosley book’s conclusion is very satisfying but not shocking, while the Everett novel’s conclusion takes one of the most surprising twists I’ve ever encountered in literature. A twist I didn’t like, but it certainly got my attention and left me scrambling to think if there had been noticeable clues presaging what would happen.

So, yes, novels that seem somewhat similar are frequently quite different. Meaning readers often get a lot of variety even when they think they’re taking a hiatus from that.

Your thoughts on this topic?

Note: Mosley is best known for his acclaimed Easy Rawlins mysteries, while among Everett’s other novels are 2001’s Erasure (which inspired the 2023 movie American Fiction) and 2024’s James (which tells Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn saga from the perspective of escaped slave Jim rather than Huck.

My literary-trivia book is described and can be purchased here: Fascinating Facts About Famous Fiction Authors and the Greatest Novels of All Time.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — containing endorsements of Township Council candidates and my take on an amended lawsuit by Black firefighters credibly charging racism — is here.

111 thoughts on “The Wisdom to Know the Difference”

  1. Mosley is no doubt beyond well-aware,but for those who don’t know, here’s the original Joe Oliver, aka King Oliver, and one of his most famous compositions, as recorded in 1923 by his Creole Jazz Band. The cornet w/mute was at the time the most famous solo in jazz, and played by a young Louis Armstrong, who learned his craft at Oliver’s knee .

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  2. Hi Dave, I done this series reading thing both by genre and by author. When I was doing research for my languishing WIP, The Soldier and the Radium Girl, which is set during WW1, I read a whole lot of books about WW1 in a row. Part of that exercise, introduced me to the work of Jeff Shaara and I liked this style of writing. That led me to read three of his books in a row, one about the war in NOrth Korea and two about the war in the Pacific (Pearl Harbour and the Battle of Midway). Then, I was interested to learn more about the war in the Pacific, so I read A Town like Alice by Neville Shute. I like him so I read another book of his, The Chequer Board. And, I have not written reviews for any of them. I am soooo behind but there is only so much time and the Indie book reviews take all of it up.

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  3. Dave,

    The closest I can come here is years ago when I went on a vaycay to Jamaica.

    I took 2 books to read.

    Both were by female authors.

    Both authors were (still are) are Canadian.

    Both are best sellers, and both books were written in the 80’s.

    Both had something to do about child/children.

    The books are “Kiss MommyGoodbye” By Joy Fielding & “Cat’s Eye”, by Margaret Atwood.

    The books could not be more different. One is a book about a parental kidnapping of children.

    The other is about looking back on childhood.

    Both are good books, each in their own way.

    You read so much, you’re hard to keep up with. Still, the way I figure; once read a book is read, it will always count!

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  4. Very interesting, as I recently just did something similar. I finally read Roots (I had seen the movie years ago but never actually read the book) then promptly followed it up with Jesmyn Ward’s “Let us Descend,” which has a very similar theme and feel. I did need a bit of a lighter read after both of those, which I am pursuing now 🙂

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  6. I find it interesting the way you “bounce around with [your] choices of novels.” These days, my choices depend upon recommendations from you and a book reviewer that I’ve also come to trust. I’m almost finished reading “Unsheltered” by Barbara Kingsolver and must say that I’m now a big fan of her work. Though writers may explore similar themes, as in the cases you mention, they can/do offer us new and different insights based on their own vision, awareness, and experiences. Stories well told, from unknown authors, can surprise us in so many ways. I enjoy taking the leap 🙂

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  7. Many thanks,Dave, for your thought of reading maybe several books on a similar subject, which give as different opinions. As I always try to change languages so as not to forget them completely, at the moment I’m reading “La singularity du vivant” by Miguel Benasayag,which is about the question of what really makes us a human beings! This topic about ourselves and AI has really made me courious and I’m therefore not only involved with books, but also with good newspapers or precious discussions and the various opinions.

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  10. I just finished my first Joe Oliver novel yesterday. I have loved Mosley’s Easy Rawlins novels, but this one (Every Man a King) has too many characters twists and, subplots; it seemed frenetic throughout. I have not read Everett, but will look into him as I enjoy detective stories. I, too, usually mix up my reading (fiction/nonfiction; mystery/historical fiction, etc.).

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    • Thank you, Madeline! Sounds like you have a great reading mix!

      “Down the River unto the Sea” is the first Joe King Oliver novel I’ve read. It has much of what you described in “Every Man a King,” but perhaps not to the same densely packed degree.

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      • ‘Every man a king’ was a Huey Long slogan, the man most of us know by way of Broderick Crawford in the movie made out of Robert Penn Warren’s novel, “All the King’s Men”.

        A cousin of mine wrote what has lately become the favored biography of the man, “Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long”, by Richard D. White.

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  11. After reading your interesting post, I will certainly try this out! I usually just read what intrigues me, not thinking about holding time frames together or topics, types of authors etc. Except, of course, when doing my research, which has me focusing on late 1800’s, early 1900’s – and reading a lot of books by missionaries, which is certainly a genre of its own with many similarities in writing style, way of viewing the world and so on.

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    • Thank you! I hear you — I also usually just read what intrigues me. But sometimes a bit more “planning” is involved. 🙂 And, yes, if one is doing specific research, one will read relatively similar things. A great point!

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  12. I only read Down the river unto the sea because the title was reminiscent to an experiment when I retried to relive Pirsig’s Lila when he was going on a mental pilgrimage down the river. The thing that stuck to me when reading Down the River to the Sea is that Western people have a different concept of Dharma than Asiatic people. In Asia it’s fully acceptable to do something morally wrong when it serves the right purpose. Think about how war is the ultimate expression of diplomacy: a morally wrong act that has to be considered in the light of the purpose it serves.

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    • Thank you, Shaharee! “Down the River unto the Sea” is definitely an evocative title, and interesting how it related to your own experience! I’m not totally sure how the title fits with Walter Mosley’s book, but it piqued my curiosity as I was randomly trying to decide which of his novels to borrow from the library. 🙂 And, last but not least, I enjoyed your take on doing something morally wrong when it serves the right purpose. I agree that that can be defensible in certain instances.

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      • Picking Mosley’s book was a fast book grab based upon wrong assumptions induced by its title. It was not at all related to Pirsig’s spiritual river cruise that I’ve tried to reenact. Where Pirsig went on questioning the place of logic as the absolute criterion for the validity of an argument in order to replace it with an even shakier Metaphysics of Quality, I ended up with a wife.

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  13. There are so many books based on another book, and I’ve gone down the rabbit hole with a number of them. One is Henry James’s Turn Of The Screw. If someone asked me what book I would have most wanted to write, I’d have to say this one, because there are a wealth of spin offs. Another is Peter Bouille’s Planet Of The Apes. I also liked Oates’s book Blonde based on Marilyn Monroe’s life so much I had to read Monroe’s biography, and I don’t often read bios. Then there’s Stephen King’s Castle Rock series, a location I’m not sure I’d want to visit. Another location I think I’d most definitely by pass is a cruise on the ship the Demeter after seeing The Last Voyage Of The Demeter, a film based on The Captain’s Log a chapter in Bram Stoker’s Dracula by written by Bragi F. Shut https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/interview-bragi-f-schut-9ea49cee082e

    Great theme Dave. Thanks Susi

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    • Thank you, Susi! Many interesting points — including your one about how reading a particular book can inspire us to read another book. I love when that happens. A different, positive “domino theory.” And, as you note, sometimes that can involve going from fiction to nonfiction, or vice versa.

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  14. A very interesting topic, Dave – one that has me thinking back over my reading experience. I agree that reading two authors at the same time can offer a diverse range of perspectives and writing styles. I am able to compare and contrast different approaches to storytelling, character development, and themes. This has helped deepen the reading experience and, dare I say it, enhance my critical thinking skills. At the present moment, I am involved in two autobiographies: Emily Carr, “Growing Pains” and Gertrude Stein’s “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas”. Going to fiction, I read two “crime” stories: “The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza” by Lawrence Block and “Blackman’s Coffin” by Mark de Castrique.

    Gertrude Stein once said, “It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.” My thought is “you have to sit around so much by reading, really doing reading…”. LOL

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  16. Another interesting concept, Dave. I tend to stick with a genre for a long time, sometimes, even with an author. When I want variety, at least lately, I’ve been turning to anthologies of short stories. Lot’s of different voices in one book.

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  17. I too vary the types of books that I read. If I find an author that gets my total attention, however, I’ll happily read two or more books in a row. As to books by different authors that seem similar but are in fact rather different, however, I’ll have to give it some thought and get back to you. Time to get the little grey cells working … 🙂

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    • Thank you, Laura! Yes, it’s a great pleasure to read two or more novels in a row by an author we really like. I remember “binges” for George Eliot, Dickens, Tolstoy, Zola, Balzac, Remarque, Steinbeck, Atwood, Willa Cather, Colette, Kristin Hannah, Stephen King, John Grisham, etc. Looking forward to a possible future comment or comments from you on this topic. 🙂

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      • Actually, I’ve just woken up by remembering something else. I read a post earlier, a review of Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies,’ which brought back memories of when I used to mark secondary school exams on the text. It was inspired by R M Ballantyne’s ‘Coral Island,’ but was very different in purpose. Both texts have boys stranded on desert islands, and in Ballantyne’s book they organise themselves well, saving the prisoners of cannibal tribes and so forth. It was supposed to promote the ‘benefits’ of colonialism and Christianity. Golding found it too simplistic and optimistic, hence his book took a dystopian view, with the proposed democracy and order proposed by Ralph overthrown by Jack and his hunters. At first comparison of the plot it would be easy to think they’re similar, but on reading I don’t think too much wisdom would be needed to find the difference. 😊

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        • Those two similar-but-different/different-but-similar books would be fascinating to read consecutively! (I read “Lord of the Flies” many years ago but never “Coral Island.”) Reminds me a bit of how, in a different genre, “Wide Sargasso Sea” was a reaction to “Jane Eyre.”

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          • I read ‘Coral Island’ so long ago that I’ve forgotten it. It was a book I was obliged to read at school, but I suspect I didn’t like it. I have read ‘Wild Sargasso Sea’ and didn’t care much for that either, although I understood the wish to give the first Mrs Rochester a backstory and a voice. I’ll have to give ‘Coral Island’ another go. 😊

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                  • Talking of ‘Jane Eyre,’ I thought of another like/unlike comparison concerning her this morning. Both ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Vanity Fair’ contain a strong female protagonist who knows her own mind and works to make life work out as she wants. It’s not an exact comparison, Becky Sharp having to share the spotlight with Amelia and a host of other characters. Unlike Jane, who represses her feelings for Rochester and leaves him, rather than live in an irregular relationship with him, Becky indulges her urges in marring Rawdon Crawley. She must have had her eye on the main chance though, he being heir to his aunt, who disinherits him when she discovers his marriage to Becky, who in turn regrets marrying when Sir Pitt Crawley’s wife dies and Becky realises that she could have been Lady Crawley. She’s as artful and conniving as Jane is honest and artless, although she does have a thin streak of honesty in pulling the wool from Amelia’s eyes in regard to George at last. It’s also interesting that Charlotte Bronte dedicated the ‘Jane Eyre’ to Thackeray, the author of ‘Vanity Fair’ – and she had no way of knowing that his own wife was committed to an asylum. Ouch.

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                    • That’s a very interesting “Jane Eyre”/”Vanity Fair” comparison, Laura! Jane Eyre was indeed more likable than Becky Sharp, though the latter had some admirable qualities, as you note. Both had to navigate patriarchal worlds. 😦 Charlotte Bronte definitely admired William Thackeray, and met him at least once. Did not know that about Thackeray’s wife. 😦

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                    • I’ve read somewhere that she was mortified when someone enlightened her on the matter, but how could she have known, poor woman? People didn’t exactly go around shouting from the rooftops back then–any more than now–that their spouse was committed to a mental asylum. Thackeray was very good about it, apparently, kept any thoughts he had to himself and thanksed/praised Bronte. 🙂

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                    • The last comparison I’ll make on this is a personal and not very positive one. When I published my debut novel, ‘Fairytales Don’t Come True,’ an early reviewer likened it to ’50 Shades of Grey’ – a book which I’ve heard of but have never read. Insofar as both books contain a rather irregular physical relationship between a man and a woman, the two books are alike. I was trying to do something rather different than ’50 Shads’ though, as in bringing attention to the developing and dangerous trend of young female students deciding to fund their university studies through the sex trade. I’d met one such student when I was teaching at university, and it was an issue that wasn’t going away. When I began writing and researching I found that a British university had done an extensive research project into the phenomenon. In terms of my book, the unfortunate comparison – by someone who didn’t have the wisdom to know the difference, it seems – didn’t do it any favours. I more than suspect that some who would have read it didn’t, thinking it was merely an S&M bonkfest, while some who were looking for the latter read it and were disappointed that they didn’t get that. Wisdom means a great deal, but sadly we don’t get to choose our readers. Nuff said – I survived. Thanks for another post that got the little grey cells working. 🙂

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                    • Sorry that comparison was made with your book, Laura. Unfair and infuriating when people make assumptions without the facts and without doing the required research and reading. (And what some female students were doing is yet another reason to lament that the cost of a university education is often way too high — especially in the United States.)

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    • Thank you, navasolanature! A big part of my dropping “Assumption” from “loved” to “liked” was the hyper-twist of an ending. I do give Percival Everett’s conclusion points for originality and not coddling the reader. 🙂

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