Charles Blakey has no job, few friends, and scant coins in his pockets to hold on to his home in Sag Harbor, which has been in the family for several generations. His lack of initiative and absence of many redeeming qualities stand as pale testaments to his family’s history in the mainly African-American community. Having been fired from his job as a bank teller for theft, Charles is pretty much an outcast and embarrassment to his relatives. Yet, Charles usually fails to take responsibility for much of anything that has happened to him.

Realism finally starts to settle in when his attempt to attain another job falls short and the threat of losing the house looms nearer. Suddenly, Anniston Bennet, a mysterious White man, appears and offers Charles nearly $50,000 to rent the latter’s basement for about two months. He also requests that he be held in a cage and treated like a prisoner during his stay. Refusing at first, Charles finally agrees and prepares for his prisoner’s arrival by building Anniston’s cage after cleaning out the basement, which is filled with family belongings.

Initially, Charles is afraid of his guest even though Anniston is behind bars. But, as Charles learns more about Anniston and his reasons for being there the fear is replaced by curiosity. Slowly, Charles and Anniston develop a relationship heavily centered in philosophical discussions that leave Charles angry at times and moved at others. Juxtaposed to Charles' thoughts about Anniston is his deepening consideration of the mysterious masks that were found in the basement. On the periphery of this central story, Charles is also involved with three very different women: the seductive Bethany who desperately wants Charles to love her even though it’s an impossible situation; the blond Extine who wants to experiment with Charles; and the beautiful Narciss who sees more in Charles than he sees in himself.

As the 65-day imprisonment moves on, both Charles and Anniston begin to change and discover more about themselves. Admittedly, the Basement’s premise is a little thin, but the story is still interesting on some levels: a white man wanting to be imprisoned by a black man; human beings’ failure to take responsibility for their actions; and our tendencies to build our own mental prisons. Unfortunately, Mosley’s climax is also a bit weak and I was disappointed. Still, it is a decent read addressing an occasional point that prompts additional thought.

In addition to several fiction and non-fiction works, Mosley is also the author of the Easy Rawlins mystery series.