“Harlem Shuffle” by Colson Whitehead
It must have been difficult for Colson Whitehead to choose his theme when setting out on writing this novel. Few authors have won consecutive major literary awards let alone the Pulitzer. His choice was very good and far removed from “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys”, and his achievement is, that as we read this book, the streets of Harlem in the 1960s seem to come alive.
We meet Ray Carney, the proud owner of his own furniture store on 125th Street, happily married to Elizabeth with a second child on the way. He is not what her self-satisfied parents wanted for their daughter, but love intervened. Cash is always a problem, and there are local police and criminals who have to be paid off to keep the business up and running and protected. Ray has a second line of business, always kept as low-key and removed from his legitimate trade as possible. This is fencing the proceeds of his cousin Freddie’s thieving. Ray has connections and the extra income certainly helps Ray provide a better life for his growing family, and for his aspirations of improving their lives.
Ray has come a long way already, his father was a crook with very dubious connections, killed by the police. Though they grew up basically together, Freddie has maintained his uncle’s links. Ray is ambitious and advances himself. As the first section of the story set in 1959 moves into the second phase in 1961, Freddie’s nefarious ventures endanger Ray’s future, when he volunteers Ray to act as the fence for a heist on an up-market local hotel for wealthy black guests. Things go wrong, and their lives become steadily more complex and imperiled.
The secondary characters in this basically often light-hearted book are a real bonus. Be they villains, cops, local politicians or the staff that Ray employs in his business; they all add extra dimension to this enjoyable read, and some of their back stories and nicknames are inventive and fun.
The conclusion of the novel moves forward to 1964. America was suffering much self-inflicted strife in these early years of that decade. Colson Whitehead manages to bring the politics into focus, and the racial segregation and unrest run alongside the themes of trickery, revenge and self-preservation. Always present is Ray’s love for his wife and family, and his commitment to securing the future of his business.
Each of the three sections/years of this book, amounting each to a little over 100 pages, are self-contained, but the events of the previous parts form a connection throughout. The main protagonists and sub-characters come and go stimulating the action to make a fulfilling unusual read. This is not a Harlem crime novel, but it certainly gives the reader a real feel for that district, and the years in which the story is set.
