Eric Jerome Dickey releases posthumous book, 'The Son of Mr. Suleman’
A Must Read book from the late great author
Earlier this year, Eric Jerome Dickey died of cancer, aged 59 years old. This was a shock to the literary community as he was widely considered to be one of the best African-American writers of his generation. With a career spanning back to 1996, he had written tens of books and been nominated for various NAACP awards.
With this said, there's something quite special about The Son of Mr. Suleman as it's his last book. Here, he writes about Pi Suleman who is an academic, living and working in Memphis. Perhaps it's no coincidence, but Dickey himself lived and worked in Memphis as well.
"As a final farewell to his audience, Dickey goes out in style."
The novel centers around Pi's relationship with Gemma, a woman he meets who is from London. Effectively, there is a level of catharsis for Dickey here, as he uses Pi to show Gemma his wonderful, and complicated life and the wider world of Memphis. Effectively, through Pi, the reader gets a glimpse into Dickey's home town. This may be on purpose, with Dickey dying of cancer as he penned this novel...essentially giving the reader a tour of where he lived.
On the surface level, The Son of Mr. Suleman is a romance novel that sees a man and woman fall in love. It has various themes running through it, with questions about US gun culture, family structures, race and different cultures. This rich book can take a little while to get going, but once it hits, it packs a hard punch.
As a final farewell to his audience, Dickey goes out in style. Like The Blackbirds and Chasing Destiny, Pi's world is vibrant, edgy and most of all realistic. Not only this but it ends with a positive message of hope and happiness. Perhaps this was the parting gift of Eric Jerome Dickey and his life. In releasing The Son of Mr. Suleman, he shows that life is not always perfect, but it's about embracing the positives and doing your best. As a final note, whilst it's goodbye to Dickey, it's also a fantastic last book and highlights what a brilliant author and human being Dickey truly was.