As Lie Is to Grin

Matriculation. One of the best debut novels I’ve read in a long time is the compact book by Simeon Marsalis titled, As Lie Is to Grin. The narrator and protagonist, David, arrives at college in Vermont doing what all college students eventually do while matriculating: finding answers to important questions. Race and class and fitting in are all in play, with David’s confusion in the present trying to make sense of the past. Marsalis places David as an African American in a predominantly white college. Then he explores the backstory from the prior year that made sense of what led David to Vermont. The prose is finely written, and explores complex ideas with great skill. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase As Lie Is to Grin from amazon.com.