Despite the fact that I finished it back in mid-December while on our extended trip to L.A., I'm still buzzing from the kinetic energy that infuses Harlem Shuffle (2021). And though novels that reprise characters are normally not a go-to for me, I'm looking forward to seeing where Colson Whitehead will take me when he follows Ray Carney - "...only slightly bent when it comes to being crooked..." - in Crook Manifesto (2023). If that follow-up is even roughly equal to Harlem Shuffle, Carney will end up on a short list of characters I want to hang out with more than twice. Which fictional characters from your reading life have captivated you enough to read more than two novels that feature them?
"Carney was confident in his salesmanship, especially on his home turf. Today's specials: surprise and sadness and curiosity."
Carney is a dedicated family man and mostly successful furniture salesman in late 50s, early 60s Harlem. But some of his family - notably his deceased father and very-much-alive cousin Freddie - dance to different music. His family's shenanigans and Ray's resentment of the pretensions of his effete in-laws complicate a facade he works hard to maintain. Using a classic three act structure, Whitehead never loses control of his propulsive narrative.
"An envelope is an envelope. Disrespect the order and the whole system breaks down." That brief passage from Act Two - my personal favorite even though the body count is lower than Act One or Three - hints at one of the broader themes Whitehead explores in this terrific book, i.e., what really makes a city like New York work. Though this gifted author has more on his mind than entertaining you, you will keep turning those pages compulsively. I guarantee it.
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