In his debut publication, Adjei-Brenyah delivers a surreal collection
of short stories that reflect the painfully absurd realities of modern society.
While some stories read like a dystopian future, others feel much too close to
reality. In “Zimmer Land” the narrator portrays a loiterer at an “interactive
justice park” where customers mete out their own version of justice with brutal
force and little provocation. The title story features a sales clerk in a
department store who fights off rabid Black Friday shoppers as they turn the
shopping holiday into a brutal fight for popular coats. I read this story on
Thanksgiving, and found myself reflecting on it while bombarded by Black Friday
sales ads the next day.
In turn funny and frightening, Friday Black is not light
reading, but it is amazing story-telling. I cannot imagine anyone who can read
this collection without serious introspection and reflection on the systemic
racism, lost children, and broken justice system that seem so prevalent in the
news. Booklist called it a “resonating
wake-up call to redefine and reclaim what remains of our humanity.”
- Portia Kapraun
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