ninaprime 's review for:

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

3.0

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3.5 stars - Like in 'Harlem Shuffle', Whitehead brings 70s Harlem to life as its own vivid character, a gritty and fast-paced space containing a colorful cast. Since the prior novel, Ray Carney has attempted to go straight but quickly finds he can't escape the crooked when to keep his family happy and safe from crooked cops, mobsters, and greedy wannabe politicians. Despite Carney being the protagonist, Pepper continues to be the standout character to me, his silence and brawn covering his rich interior life, and I also appreciated Colson not sidelining women as there were multiple strong female entrepreneurs, like Elizabeth, Lucinda, and the fried chicken ladies. While people who experienced New York of the period praised the realism, my lack of context plus the satiric tone kept me detached from the story even when I was enjoying its cadence. The tone also prevented me from fully grasping the horrors in a story full of violence, even as I acknowledge how incisively it calls out the difficulty of breaking out or succeeding in an oppressive system. Whitehead is a compelling writer but I only liked, not loved this sequel, though I would return for another adventure with Carney and Pepper.

GU Book Club selection, January 2024.