A Conversation with the Mann.

by John Ridley Warner Books, June 2002 $24.95, ISBN 0-446-52836-6

From John Ridley, the multi-hyphenated Hollywood talent (see feature on page 24), you might expect a less than literary effort in this his fourth novel. After all, for someone steeped in the story structure of the movies, it's bound to overwhelm his prose. But here, Ridley manages to shrug off the conventions of screenwriting and tell an appealing tale of the rise and fall of a fictive black comedian named Jackie Mann.

Set during the late-50s and early 60s, Ridley parallels Mann's personal story with the broader political and pop culture tenor of the times--everything from the declining clout of the Hollywood studios with the advent of television to the murder of Emmett Till. The narrative, which is told in something resembling a long conversation, sometimes has the staccato cadence of movie dialogue, owing perhaps to the fact that the novel was initially a screenplay.

The phone rang ... rang ... rang ...

"Hello?"

"Fran?"

"Jackie!"

"Get you at a bad time?"

"I was just cooking some"

"I can call you back if you're--"

"No. Absolutely not. I want to talk to you. Feels like forever."

Despite the awkwardness of the dialogue--in particular, Ridley's use of dialect--and a few intrusive elements that seem better suited to filmmaking, the novel is at its best when the author sticks with a visually rich, eloquent narrative style. However, his sense of character and ability to deftly describe the emotional conflicts--both external and internal--that lead to Mann's demise more than atone for the novel's shortcomings.

--Evette Porter is BIBR's executive editor.