Colson Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle (2021), set in the early 1960s in New York City, centres around Ray Carney, an African American salesman who seeks to run an honest furniture store in his community. Ray wants to distance himself from his past (his father was a local criminal) and be an upstanding member of society. With a pregnant wife and young child, Ray struggles to provide but is determined to be a good husband and father.
Ray finds a balance between his legitimate work selling Ardent sofas and flipping stolen goods. Ray doesn't want to be shady, and tries to tell himself he isn't, even as he performs his dodgy side hustle. As his business takes off he is able to expand the store, hire more staff and move to a nicer apartment. But cousin Freddie has a proposition which brings Ray to the attention of influential and dangerous men.
During this period, Harlem was undergoing substantial change, and the novel culminates with the Harlem Riots of 1964. A white off-duty police officer shot and killed black teenager James Powell, in a scene all too common in America. The six days of riots that followed involved 4000 people and resulted in one death, 118 injured and over 400 arrests.
I really enjoy Whitehead's prose. He writes in a cinematic way which allows readers to visualise the action but also grounds the tale with a sense of place. Yet there were times I felt the story lost momentum - the middle third was a struggle to stay engaged, between thrilling Theresa job and fast-paced Van Wyck affair. While reading, I also listened to the audiobook brilliantly performed by Dion Graham who infused each character with unique, authentic voice. Graham got me through the awkward middle and kept me gripped until the end. I loved his narration so much I have looked out other books he has voiced.
Harlem Shuffle is the first instalment of a planned trilogy. In May 2023 I heard Whitehead speak at the Sydney Writers' Festival about Crook Manifesto (2023), the second book, and I was able to get both books signed by the author. My review of Whitehead's The Nickel Boys (2019) is also available on this blog.