Drumroll please…. I am finally reviewing Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour!! This book was FANTASTIC. I laughed, I cried, and I even physically gasped three separate times (that’s a lot for me). I am typically a stoic reader but this book caught me off guard like it was its job. Writing this review has been such a daunting task because I don’t want to leave anything out!!
Black Buck is a satirical take on your typical Wall Street venture capital start-up-type-company (clearly business lingo is not my strong point). Darren is a twenty-something from Bed-Stuy in New York City. In the years since becoming his high school’s valedictorian, he has worked his way up to a managerial position at a Starbucks in the business district. He is content with his life- caring for his sweet mom and kicking it with Soraya, his loyal girlfriend. That is, until Rhett Daniels enters the scene. Pick any generic, rich, white guy from a Brooks Brothers catalog, put a whiskey in his hand, and there you have Rhett. Rhett is a regular at Darren’s Starbucks. Being the motivated manager that he is, Darren pays close attention to all of the regular’s orders. One morning, though, he gives Rhett a different drink, one that he thinks will make Rhett more efficient. Rhett gets angry and almost doesn’t give it a chance but...
Somehow it works.
Massively impressed with Darren’s ability to sell him on a different cold brew than his usual order, Rhett invites him to interview for a sales position at his elusive company, Sumwun. When Darren first steps into the office of Sumwun, it’s a sensory overload. Heavy metal is on blast, objects are quite literally flying through the air, and employees are yelling, laughing, and flirting. Alcohol is abundant and Darren suspects some other substances are at play as well.
Amidst the chaos, something else stands out the most. There isn’t another person of color in sight.
Despite the ambiguity of what exactly Sumwun is selling, Rhett convinces Darren to stay, and that’s where this book really gets interesting. Darren quickly becomes “Buck”, nicknamed by Clyde, Rhett’s nasty counterpart. He is put through an agonizing “hell week” of hazing, not to mention blatant not-so-micro aggressions coming at him from every angle.
Buck’s stint at Sumwun changes him in a way that was oftentimes frustrating. With that said, I could not help put root for him. He somehow toed the line between being brainwashed by Sumwun’s mission and completely immune to it’s lure. In his moments of clarity, Buck mades some big things happen for fellow Bed-Study underdogs. Watching his top-secret mission unfold under Sumwun’s radar was invigorating and had me on the edge of my seat.
“It's the duty of every man and woman who has achieved some success in life to pass it on, because when we're gone, what matters most isn't what we were able to attain but who we were able to help.”
Black Buck made me fall in love with Askaripour’s writing style. It was action-packed yet still thought-provoking. The way that he masked racial commentary as satire was impeccable- at several points I found myself going back and rereading paragraphs to make sure I didn’t miss any nuance. It was just that jam-packed. I didn’t want this book to end! Askaripour’s character building was also remarkable- Clyde is now up there with my top most-hated book characters ever. Buck was the perfect narrator, no matter how stubborn he was. I felt so many raw emotions while reading this book, many of which were anger. I’ve never read a book with so many plot twist yet so much social criticism and relatable human experiences thrown into the mix.
Black Buck had just the right amount of Wall Street recklessness, wealth-driven insanity, family drama, romance, uplifting messaging, self-help (??), and social commentary. I don’t know if such a perfect storm could be replicated, but hopefully it is in Askaripour’s next book which he has hinted at on his Instagram stories! If none of those factors entice you, I beg you to at least read Black Buck for the MAJOR plot twist at the end. I never would have seen it coming!!
Rating: 5/5 cold brews
xx, Lauren