The Intuitionist
Who tampered with the elevator? The mundane job of elevator inspection becomes a mysterious tale of intrigue. Whitehead weaves a beautiful narrative featuring an independent protagonist who elevates herself from the racism she faces in this noir mystery.
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Lila Mae Watson is the first Black woman elevator inspector in a stylized mid-century city and a member of the Intuitionist school, who feel an elevator's health rather than measure it. When an elevator she just cleared crashes in a city building, the union and the rival Empiricists come for her.
The Intuitionist was written by Colson Whitehead and published in 1999. It was Whitehead's debut novel. He has since won two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction (The Underground Railroad in 2017 and The Nickel Boys in 2020).
The Intuitionist uses an alternate-historical America where elevator inspectors are major social figures. The premise is intentionally surreal but Colson Whitehead's prose is clear. Most readers find the satirical alternate-history accessible.
The Intuitionist is 264 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Intuitionist takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
The Intuitionist is a standalone novel by Colson Whitehead, not part of a series.
The Intuitionist is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
