LaValle is best known for his speculative writing. However, he began his literary career writing realistic fiction. His first two books—the collection of stories Slapboxing with Jesus, which was published in 1999, and the 2002 novel, The Ecstatic—offered social commentary on the lives of young Black men who deal with mental health conditions, racism, and other issues.

Though both works delved into dark and intense themes, it wasn’t until 2009 that LaValle introduced a surreal frame to his writing with his second novel, Big Machine. The main character in this book is the survivor of a suicide cult, and he is invited to join a group of paranormal investigators called the Unlikely Scholars. All of the Scholars have experienced social difficulties at some point in the past, and this element continues the theme that LaValle explored in his earlier works.

His next two works continued in this trend by leaning more into elements of horror and social commentary at the same time. LaValle’s 2012 novel, The Devil in Silver, is set in a psychiatric hospital and follows a character who must overcome the Devil as he roams the halls of the institute. In 2016, LaValle wrote and published a novella titled The

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now