“After the darkness of the last two books, the levity, Carney’s humble charm, is fulfilling a psychological need for me,” Whitehead said. In an interview last year with the New York Times, Whitehead said that writing the character of Carney was a relief to him after writing his two previous books, The Underground Railroadand The Nickel Boys, both of which tackled themes of violent racism. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote of the novel, which was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, “As one of Whitehead’s characters might say of their creator, When you’re hot, you’re hot.” Harlem Shuffle, published last September by Doubleday, follows furniture salesman Carney in mid-20th-century New York, as he takes occasional jobs as a fence, selling pilfered merchandise on behalf of his shady cousin. “Don’t be sad-he’ll be back in 2023!” Whitehead replied. A real page turner…Tinged with sadness that I won’t be reading any of Ray Carney’s schemes anymore.” Whitehead responded to a reader who tweeted his praise for the novel, writing, “What a fantastic book #Harlemshuffle is. The Pulitzer Prize–winning author plans to bring back the conflicted protagonist of his latest novel, Harlem Shuffle, he confirmed on Twitter. Colson Whitehead isn’t done with Ray Carney.
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