The Boy in the Black Suit (Book Review)

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

I stayed up until 4 in the morning to finish this book, but we’ll get into that later.

The Boy in the Black Suit is a fiction novel written in a first person narrative. In it we follow Matt Miller aka The Boy in the Black Suit aka the kid who’s mother just died. Matt is looking for some part time work to help his father out with the bills when Mr. Ray, a cancer survivor and owner of the local funeral home, offers him a job. Matt has initial misgivings about the gig, but finding it his best option, decides that it couldn’t hurt to give it a chance. Through this job Matt Miller gains far more than just 30 dollars a day, he also finds closure in the aftermath of his mother’s passing.

After reading All-American Boys, a novel co-written by Jason Reynolds, I fell in love with his writing style. It was written in an understandable way, no extra frills or metaphors (though I do enjoy frills and metaphors, too). I felt connected to the characters he wrote, I understood their struggle and where they were coming from. I felt the same way while reading The Boy in the Black Suit.

Matt’s a kid my age put into a situation that no kid my age should have to go through. He struggles with coping and getting used to life without his mother. His struggle is an honest one and it left me in tears more times than I can count. Some from sadness, but many from joy as he recounted memories of his mother, and in that, began moving toward closure.

I enjoyed this story so much that I couldn’t stop reading it, starting at 9 p.m. Thursday night and going on until 4 a.m. Friday morning. I couldn’t put it down, it was just that great. All this to say, I give The Boy in the Black Suit 5/5 stars.

If you’re looking for a YA novel that speaks on real struggles, features many people of color, and will somehow still make you laugh, check this one out. Even if you aren’t looking for those things, give this book a chance, it more than deserves it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21490991-the-boy-in-the-black-suit?ac=1&from_search=true

Author: Rachelle Saint Louis

Rachelle Saint Louis is a Haitian-American writer, born and raised in South Florida. She received a 2018 Silver Medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition for her poem “Red Blood Cell.” She is currently a Psychology and English double major at Florida Atlantic University. Her poetry has been published in Rigorous Magazine. Rachelle has been writing poetry since the 7th grade and you can often find her performing Spoken Word at local open mics. View all posts by Rachelle Saint Louis