Quiara Alegria Hudes
Fiction 2025 | 176 pages
The White Hot is a bizarre, absurd novel (novella?). How did it make its way to my To Be Read list? Did one of you suggest it?
April!, 26. leaves her daughter Noelle on Noelle's 18th birthday, for ten days. She takes a bus from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, carrying not a thing with her. April spends four days and nights in Ohiopyle State Park, and then meets a man named Kamal. Kamel takes her to his home, which has no furniture, and introduces her to Charles Mangus. Do you know Mangus? He died in 1979 and bears the moniker "The angriest jazz musician of all time." I played some of his music. It is nothing short of angry, depressing, and defeating. She spends a few days with him, basically wrecking his few belongings, and soon returns home again. She had gone in search of the white hot spot .... the part of her that is overflowing with anger, regret, explosiveness, failure, and pain. I think she heals this spot somewhat.
It is an outrageous, odd, depressing novel. I definitely un-recommend it.
June 2026