title: The Known World
author/editor: Edward P. Jones
reviewed by: June Poucher
THE KNOWN WORLD
The author was a finalist for the National Book Award for his collection of stories, Lost in the City. The Known World is his first novel. The title is a reference to the limits of a slave's knowledge and experience.
The story is set in Virginia before the civil war. Most of the characters are Black, including the owner of the plantation where most of the scenes are played out. After the plantation's Black owner dies, his widow gives the position of overseer to the slave, Moses, who had help-ed her husband build the house and property. Taking advantage of his position and her grief, he makes love to her. He plans to persuade her to grant him his freedom and then to marry him.
Although many of the characters were unappealing, the exception was the parents of the plantation owner. They were profoundly disappointed that their son would own a member of his own race. When visiting, they chose to sleep in one of the slave cabins, rather than in the plantation manor house.
Jones' story is unwieldy and his frequent digressions from the storyline weight the narrative unnecessarily. He writes in the third person and often jumps ahead to predict the future.
June Poucher (Apr.'06) adds: "I thought a young Black owning his plantation in those times would be faced with many interesting challenges."