Harlem Shuffle

A Novel

by

Paperback, 538 pages

Published Sept. 14, 2021 by Random House Large Print.

ISBN:
978-0-593-46018-4
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4 stars (3 reviews)

To his customers and neighbours on 125th Street, Ray Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normality has more than a few cracks in it.

Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops of the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn't ask where it comes from. 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.

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?

3 editions

reviewed Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Good atmosphere and evocation

4 stars

After the grimness of Underground Railroad and Nickel Boys, I had said that I would not read anymore Colson Whitehead, however I was persuaded to give Harlem Shuffle a go on the promise that it was nowhere near as dark. And that is certainly the case. The novel is split into three sections, each a story set at a different time within the life of Ray Carney, a furniture seller with a couple of dodgy side hustles. Ray makes for an intriguing central character and I loved seeing Harlem flow around him. Perhaps Harlem Shuffle wasn't always quite as gripping as I had hoped, but it was still a good book for me and I was glad to have been able to borrow a cooy.

reviewed Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Goodreads Review of Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

2 stars

I mean it was fine. What's there to say. Quite well written, don't get me wrong. But I found the three acts all lacking action, intrigue, and a consistent through line. None of the characters were memorable or distinct in a way that impacted the story, including the main character. They all seemed to serve as a backdrop for a story that was was not interesting enough to stand up on its own. It wasn't a bad read at all, just wholly unmemorable.