Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
Revisiting the territory of Harlem Shuffle, Whitehead
brings back the world of furniture salesman and sometimes fence man Ray Carney.
However, rather than have Carney as the central focus, Whitehead follows in the
footsteps of some of Carney’s friends and associates, spending significant time
not only fleshing out these characters and their backgrounds, but also
re-creating the world of 1970s New York City. I initially read this book
thinking it would be a sequel to Harlem Shuffle and was a little
disappointed when the focus was completely on Carney. However, that soon
changed as the stories started to delve into the backgrounds and experiences of
the other characters and other events of 1970s NYC. It ended up being a
thoroughly engaging read, at times humorous and highly entertaining, but also
featuring the kind of realism and crime writing not always associated with “literature”.
If anything, Whitehead helps to elevate the genre and yet make high art more
relatable to the experiences of those often working underground, whether they
are fence men, boudoir photographers, pyromaniacs, fixer-tough-guys,
exploitation film actresses, radical activists. There are 3 stories taking
place at various times in the 70s, and Carney is like the center of these
stories, serving as the liaison or central hub connecting the various
characters. I really enjoyed revisiting the world of Ray Carney and spending
more time around his colleagues and associates. Whitehead makes these stories
fun and also relevant to today’s society, while offering us a descriptive view
of 1970s New York.
No comments:
Post a Comment