Lila Mae is an elevator inspector, and she is one of the first black, the first woman, and also one of the few Intuitionists, because elevator inspection is either done by Empiricism or by Intuitionism. Yet as one recently inspected elevator fails dramatically, Lila Mae is pulled into a political investigation whose fault it was, and if either Blacks, females or intuitionists are to blame. And of course everything in this book is meant allegoric.

It takes place in an unnamed city in the early 20th century, and it meanders between facts (like Elisha Graves Otis appears) and fiction, yet the city is full of skyscrapers and feels like either New York or Gotham City (I know).

The plot is fast and mysterious. The dialogues is funny and biting, and the entire story makes you laugh until it doesn't somehow.

I liked it alot and will surely buy another book by Colson Whitehead.

(sorry for this general look at the book, I was travelling a bit and find it difficult now, to write about)