• The Man in My Basement

  • By: Walter Mosley
  • Narrated by: Ernie Hudson
  • Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (211 ratings)

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The Man in My Basement  By  cover art

The Man in My Basement

By: Walter Mosley
Narrated by: Ernie Hudson
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Publisher's summary

This masterpiece by celebrated New York Times bestselling author Walter Mosley is the mysterious story of a young Black man who agrees to an unusual bargain to save the home that has belonged to his family for generations.

The man at Charles Blakey's door has a proposition almost too strange for words. The stranger offers him $50,000 in cash to spend the summer in Charles's basement, and Charles cannot even begin to guess why. The beautiful house has been in the Blakey family for generations, but Charles has just lost his job and is behind on his mortgage payments. The money would be welcome. But Charles Blakey is black and Anniston Bennet is white, and it is clear that the stranger wants more than a basement view.

There is something deeper and darker about his request, and Charles does not need any more trouble. But financial necessity leaves him no choice. Once Anniston Bennet is installed in his basement, Charles is cast into a role he never dreamed of. Anniston has some very particular requests for his landlord, and try as he might, Charles cannot avoid being lured into Bennet's strange world. At first he resists, but soon he is tempted—tempted to understand a set of codes that has always eluded him, tempted by the opportunity to understand the secret ways of white folks.

Charles's summer with a man in his basement turns into an exploration of inconceivable worlds of power and manipulation, and unimagined realms of humanity. Walter Mosley pierces long-hidden veins of justice and morality with startling insight into the deepest mysteries of human nature.

©2004 Walter Mosley (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks, a division of the Time Warner Book Group

Critic reviews

"Will hold readers rapt; it is Mosley's most philosophical novel to date."—Publishers Weekly

"A provocative, page-turning story that constitutes nothing less than a masterpiece."—Bookmarks Magazine
"This is fine, provocative writing from the prolific Mosley, whose gifts extend well beyond his excellent mysteries."—Booklist

What listeners say about The Man in My Basement

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Well, it's different

The premise of the story intrigued me. Now that I've finished it I'm left wondering, "Now, why did I read this again?" I never did understand why the man in the basement felt the need to do what he did down there.

Some of the characters really didn't move the story along. They simply served as a means of filling the gaps between when the main character and the man in the basement would meet, and that didn't happen until half way through the story!

And yes, there was a lot of X-rated content which had no place in this story line...just something to throw in there.

Pass this one by.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Man In My Basement

This is the perfect audio book; easy to listen to, entertaining,and suspenseful.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Hated the Main Character

While I listened to this book, I found myself distracted by my hatred of the main character. It started out as dislike and then grew to hatred. The way he treats women, the way he lives his life.... He loses his job for stealing and then he is the victim???? This book was a real let down for me... I couldn't wait for it to end.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

An Enjoyable Listen

This is an easy listen. Certainly different from your everyday stuff, as the perspective makes it a very interesting book. I enjoyed it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of his best

I've read or listened to everything Mosley has ever done, including his non-fiction. This is one of his best works.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Journey Thank You Walter Mosley

The author and the gentleman reading the story AWESOMe Amazing Journey. I can't wait to enjoy the rest of his books. thanks to a teenager that asked me to check this book out.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Stick to Easy Rawlins

The characters are despicable, the writing wanders, and while I understand Moseley wants to expand....he should stick to Easy novels.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed

What did you like best about The Man in My Basement? What did you like least?

the story line was unusual to say the least. The story was tight and on line throughout the book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Makes you think

This is classic Mosely after his dectective genre. Mosely is the type of author that makes one think and deals with real issues in an interesting way. This book deals with the ideas of slavery, heritage, right versus wrong, and some other issues. It held my attention but I probably would have liked the print format better. No a bad listen because the narrator is excellent, just have to pay attention.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

Its very rare that I read a book like this. The premise is very simple, a white guy wants to move into the basement of a down-and-out black guy who is short on cash anyway. But what evolves from there is still to me, after many reads of this book, a great story. I cannot compare it to any other book I've ever read, but the closest comparisons are "The Stranger," by Albert Camus and maybe the works of Haruki Murakami. It's one of those books that has a very real terror to it, without scattering dead bodies and zombies if you know what I mean. It touches on many layers as you feel yourself being pulled deeper into this other life and other characters. I have tried two other Mosley books and disliked them very much, but this one is a gem to me.

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1 person found this helpful