Nickel Boys takes a fascinating premise of a juvenile hall in the early sixties where African Americans were placed for unwarranted crimes. The description of the institution gives the reader a clear understanding of what it would be like to be incarcerated. Whitehead is a masterful writer of time and place. But I found the characters to be less than compelling as the novel progressed. Some of the time period flipping makes for a confusing read. I wasn’t a fan of The Undergound Railroad but this novel was an improvement.
