It’s the story of Eric Peterson, a shy seventeen-year-old, very accomplished All-State clarinetist who falls madly in love with Marquis LeBlanc---a dashingly handsome stranger. They meet while taking a creative writing course at Loyola University. Selected as writing partners, Eric and Marquis exchange stories and poetry. Like most teenage boys, Eric has no control over his libido and wants nothing more than to lose his virginity to the man he’s fallen in love with. Marquis wants nothing more than to love and protect the young man he has become so enamoured with. He is shocked that after so many years of being alone he has developed such intense feelings for another person. He’s also keeping a dark and dangerous secret: Marquis is a 200-year-old vampire.Image of Emeralds and Chocolate was a relatively nimble and enjoyable read. Eric is a circumspect youngster living in New Orleans whose tentative nature comes from his distinct hair (naturally red-colored dreadlocks) and from him being teased as a chubby child. “Look, it’s porky Ronald McDonald.” Children used to taunt him. He is, as most teenage boys are, overly horny with a “winky” that has a mind of its own. He takes college prep courses at Loyola University where he is also a campus tour guide. He is asked to give a special night time tour to Marquis, and, from that page to the last, he is smitten. Eric and Marquis also take part in a creative writing class where, as a part of their assignment, they have to exchange writings. Eric chooses poetry; Marquis chooses to write a short story.
We read both Eric's and Marquis’ work. Interestingly enough, Marquis’ short story--unbeknownst to Eric--is a chronology of Marquis' life. I actually found the short story-within-a-story much more interesting than the main plotline of the book. Told from Marquis’ first person perspective, we see him grow from a child (whose original name was Emanuel) born into slavery in 1800, into a hellishly handsome field hand sold from plantation to plantation. Johnson skillfully uses Louisiana to his greatest advantage creating a romanticized mythology of the region's great history and topography. When he describes Marquis and his lover Jeremiah bathing alongside the other male slaves in the muddy waters of the Mississippi River you can feel the humidity of their sensuality on your skin creating a breathless scene of taboo beauty. The tale of Mr. LeBlanc's life in a voodoo-laden pre-civil war landscape was lush and rich with legend.
I thought the use of modern colloquialism often hurt the prose since it was set in the 19th century, with some of the descriptions coming off as a bit puerile “…Jeremiah’s back was covered with scars from numerous beatings…while his buttocks looked like two giant chocolate melons.” I liked his version of what can easily be seen as retreaded vampire lore–as well as the ease of these characters with their sexual nature. We often don’t explore gay male sexuality contemporaneously let alone under the moon of the antebellum South. The author handled love and lovemaking between two men as well as the grotesqueries inflicted on slaves by the hands of both Massa and overseer with an unobtrusive matter-of-fact style. (We often see the result of female rape during this time period but male and child rape is rarely examined.)
Mr. Johnson is a strong novelist. And when he writes with his heart's conviction I see greatness in his work. His descriptive powers are formidable when setting a scene although it sometimes appears he has an obsession with complexion. He makes sure we all know the many hues the African American characters come in by telling us this one is mocha-honey and that one is caramel-butterscotch. I think his depiction of the vampire Sophia is the most perfect in the book. “Sophia had long auburn hair, hazel eyes and a splash of freckles on both cheeks.” When his writing leaves room for the reader’s imagination it makes for a more delicious experience.
This story-within-a-story was told with such depth and heartache; it truly is the heart of the book. Once Marquis is turned into a vampire by an evil plantation owner the story gets a bit dicey, however. There’s some contrived carnage and revenge while we find out that all vampires have unique super-powers (like being able to turn objects into gold, or becoming a human torch, or the ability to shoot ice out of one's hands). There’s also a subplot with messianic overtones that took something away from the angst of the characters. At times the author lost control of his story and it felt its most insincere when trying to be relevant historically, like, for example, when Marquis meets a young Barack Obama on the beach in Hawaii in 1968.
Back in the present, Eric is embroiled in a rivalry with another student named Amber over who should be picked to play as the first chair clarinet in the school’s holiday orchestral performance. When it was finally revealed why Amber kept getting the first prize, I was shocked---and not in a good way. This was definitely the weakest part of the story. I almost felt like Mr. Johnson was going for obvious melodrama instead of the solid storytelling that was evident in other parts of the book. Though Eric was the main character, I thought his story lacked completion and I was a bit unfulfilled at the end of the book's journey.
Mr. Johnson is a strong novelist. And when he writes with his heart's conviction I see greatness in his work. His descriptive powers are formidable when setting a scene although it sometimes appears he has an obsession with complexion. He makes sure we all know the many hues the African American characters come in by telling us this one is mocha-honey and that one is caramel-butterscotch. I think his depiction of the vampire Sophia is the most perfect in the book. “Sophia had long auburn hair, hazel eyes and a splash of freckles on both cheeks.” When his writing leaves room for the reader’s imagination it makes for a more delicious experience.
Image of Emeralds and Chocolate is a good work of fiction and I have recommended it to just about everyone. I see a bright future for Mr. Johnson who I think will soon join the ranks of great speculative fiction authors such as Brandon Massey, Nalo Hopkinson and LA Banks. Bravo.
