PositivePittsburgh Post-Gazette...a bit clunky but effective nonetheless. In Mr. Coates’ debut novel, The Water Dancer, he manages to create a mystical journey that explores the depths of loss when familial bonds are severed during slavery. The novel also forces a deeper examination of the racial caste system and the interdependency of blacks and whites in slavery ... it is clear that he’s borrowed much from one of his literary idols, the late Toni Morrison ... Its mysticism is an homage to her. In some places, maybe too much so ... It is too easy to get lost, not because you are swept up in a compelling story, but because you are lost in a thick text ... The Water Dancer is a satisfying, if not the most captivating, read. Mr. Coates knows how to use language to evoke strong feelings in people. Through a work of fiction, Mr. Coates still manages to examine the legacies of slavery that exist today as he has done through his essays and nonfiction works for years.
