NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, a gloriously entertaining novel of heists, shakedowns, and rip-offs set in Harlem in the 1960s."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.
Harlem Shuffle: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
In his highly anticipated follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead takes us to Harlem in the 1960s, a time of radical change, sweeping corruption, and gripping suspense.
Ray Carney works hard to provide for his family as a furniture salesman in Harlem. But when Ray is presented with an opportunity to make some extra money by delivering a package, he finds himself caught up in a dangerous web of crime and deceit.
As Ray tries to navigate the treacherous waters of Harlem's underworld, he must also face the challenges of his personal life. His wife Elizabeth is growing increasingly distant, and his son Freddie is getting involved with a group of radical activists.
Harlem Shuffle is a masterful work of fiction that explores the complexities of race, class, and family in America. Whitehead brings to life a vivid and unforgettable cast of characters, and his storytelling is both gripping and thought-provoking.
Praise for Harlem Shuffle:
"Whitehead has written his masterpiece."—The New York Times Book Review
"A tour de force."—Entertainment Weekly
"A must-read."—The Washington Post
"A brilliant novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it."—The Guardian
About the Author:
Colson Whitehead is the author of nine novels, including The Underground Railroad, which won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His other works include The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, and Apex Hides the Hurt.
Whitehead was born in New York City and grew up in Harlem. He graduated from Harvard University and worked as a journalist before becoming a novelist. He is a National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" honoree and a Whiting Award winner. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and two children.
