In The Cost of Knowing, Brittney Morris utilizes the genre of magical realism to explore the experiences of young Black men in 21st-century America. Magical realism is a “chiefly Latin-American narrative strategy that is characterized by the matter-of-fact inclusion of fantastic or mythical elements into seemingly realistic fiction” (“Magic Realism.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Jul. 2023). Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier coined the term in the 1940s. Iconic examples of magical realism literature include Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Jorge Luis Borges’s Fictions, and Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits. While the genre originated in Latin-American literature, examples can be found across cultures and historical eras.

Morris’s novel demonstrates several key traits of magical realism. First, she places impossible and fantastic events in an otherwise realistic narrative. While Alex possesses psychic powers, his life in 21st-century Chicago is otherwise typical for a teenager. He juggles work, family obligations, and relationship drama between experiencing visions of the future.

Second, the novel uses fantasy as an extended metaphor. Alex’s visions serve as a metaphor for the anxiety experienced by young Black men.