Pittsburgh, 1995. Twenty-two year-old Bobby Saraceno, a biracial black man passing for white, is forced to confront the lies of his past while facing the truth of his present when his best friend, just released from prison, involves him in a hate crime.
...the novel features an incredibly timely narrative that packs a violent, heartbreaking punch ... a gripping narrative about identity, secrets, and how we must learn to cope with the repercussions of our decisions ... Vercher does many things right in Three-Fifths. The first is that he created the perfect atmosphere for his story ... The second thing Vercher does well is writing with a combination of aplomb and economy of language that makes readers feel like they’re reading a novel by a seasoned veteran. He never shies away from tough topics and tackles violence like few other contemporary crime writers ... Lastly, there is an elegance to the writing that, when mixed with its straightforward approach to everything, makes Three-Fifths read like a perfect hybrid that’s part literary novel, part brutally honest exploration of race relations and identity, and part hardcore noir ... This is the kind of novel that will put Vercher on the map.
Vercher deftly explores identity and the ethics of accountability in this debut. Fans of realistic social issue narratives will be immersed in the moral dilemmas of this timely novel.
...a blunt-edged thriller in which several disquieting revelations are set in motion on a snowy night in Pittsburgh circa 1995 ... A sad, swift tale bearing rueful observations about color and class as urgent now as 24 years ago.
