I finished Three Wogs, by Alexander Theroux this morning. Three Wogs revolved around a conceptual inherent racism in three separate situations. Many of the nuances in these situations were simply fascinating. Theroux excels in nuance.
The ideas behind this book, and its title, do not seem as subtle as the book eventually is. Each section revolves around two people, one English, and one immigrant. These two characters are not especially deep or characterized, and the action in minimal. But Theroux somehow elongates each situation, each character, into an element of concern. Some of the stories involve violence, some imply and threaten it, and one involves emotional manipulation. But each story is a catalog of hurts and trespasses, a transcription of what might be the darkest thoughts in the xenophobic’s mind.
This racism and transgression does not serve to titillate or elucidate cheap reactions, but to showcase a frank reality that exists everywhere. The hatred, in many cases, was mutual, muddled, confusing. Theroux shows us in Three Wogs that straightforward hatred is rare.
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