I wanted so much to love Colson Whitehead's newest novel, Sag Harbor. I began enthusiastically reading my ARC just as soon as it arrived. Unfortunately, I never really got into this novel. Perhaps I had unrealistic expectations or perhaps it's because I couldn't identify with any of the characters or the setting of this novel. I certainly have nothing in common with any of the characters, incidents, or locations he writes about. Perhaps I am not part of the target audience for which this novel is intended. For whatever reason, the novel didn't work for me. For brief moments, as I was drawn into one of Benji's many narratives, trying my best to invision those situations as they were described, I would more often than not find myself jolted out of the novel as the story line suddenly shifted without explanation or direction. I felt very out of touch most of the time, trying to figure out what was meant by something said or done by one of the characters. By the time I finished the novel, I was more confused and disappointed than anything. I never saw even a glimmer of the humor the other readers indicate they found. For me, the few beautifully written descriptive passages this novel contains are not enough to make it stand on it's own. I can't say I would ever reread this book or recommend it to any of my friends.
