Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead

Harlem Shuffle

By Colson Whitehead

  • Release Date: 2021-09-14
  • Genre: Literary Fiction
Score: 4
4
From 720 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, this gloriously entertaining novel is “fast-paced, keen-eyed and very funny ... about race, power and the history of Harlem all disguised as a thrill-ride crime novel" (San Francisco Chronicle).

"Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked..." To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver's Row don't approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it's still home. 

Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time. 

Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops off the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn't ask where it comes from. He knows a discreet jeweler downtown who doesn't ask questions, either. 

Then Freddie falls in with a crew who plan to rob the Hotel Theresa—the "Waldorf of Harlem"—and volunteers Ray's services as the fence. The heist doesn't go as planned; they rarely do. Now Ray has a new clientele, one made up of shady cops, vicious local gangsters, two-bit pornographers, and other assorted Harlem lowlifes. 

Thus begins the internal tussle between Ray the striver and Ray the crook. As Ray navigates this double life, he begins to see who actually pulls the strings in Harlem. Can Ray avoid getting killed, save his cousin, and grab his share of the big score, all while maintaining his reputation as the go-to source for all your quality home furniture needs? 

Harlem Shuffle's ingenious story plays out in a beautifully recreated New York City of the early 1960s. It's a family saga masquerading as a crime novel, a hilarious morality play, a social novel about race and power, and ultimately a love letter to Harlem. 

But mostly, it's a joy to read, another dazzling novel from the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning Colson Whitehead.

Look for Colson Whitehead’s new novel, Crook Manifesto, coming soon!

Reviews

  • O

    2
    By loop on op
    I’m p
  • Great Read!

    5
    By JamesP990
    This book was amazing, story line compact and constantly moving. Characters are well drawn out. If only it was longer.
  • Tell me why Obama

    1
    By OriginalRB
    Really doesn’t put the people of Harlem in a favorable light. Why did Obama like this so much?
  • A Very enjoyable book

    5
    By Arthur R E
    Multilayered and beautifully written. You get crime drama, intriguing characters and an interesting tour of Harlem. I love this author and this book
  • C’mon Apple Books

    4
    By PeteG in NY
    Trying to change when I finished it.
  • Nicely written, meandering story.

    3
    By Left Out (objectivity)
    A nicely written character study of a slice of society at an earlier point in time (although somewhat universally applied, as not much is different). The story follows the main character through a number of different scenes. Overall, interesting but not compelling. More of a low-key exploration than a true page turner. Would rate it higher for true readers of literature, as compared to fans of the quick read.
  • Wonderful!

    5
    By PDO20
    Humor, suspense, memorable characters, and New York brought to life. Sadness too. I loved it.
  • Outstanding

    5
    By 3Mbysdad
    Whitehead is beyond gifted. Great book.
  • Very good, suspense and relationships

    4
    By JulB62
    It took a while to get into resonance with the authors change of scene. It was a very good book with deep character development. Good suspense with a hint of social commentary and relationship of two boys turned men related by family and circumstances. Would recommend this book

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