A Death in Harlem
A Novel
by Karla FC Holloway
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Pub Date Sep 15 2019 | Archive Date Dec 07 2019
Northwestern University Press | TriQuarterly
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Description
In A Death in Harlem, famed scholar Karla Holloway weaves a mystery in the bon vivant world of the Harlem Renaissance. Taking as her point of departure the tantalizingly ambiguous “death by misadventure” at the climax of Nella Larsen’s 1929 best-selling novel Passing, Holloway takes readers back to the sunlit boulevards and shaded sidestreets of Jazz Age New York. A murder there will test the mettle, resourcefulness, and intuition of Harlem’s first “colored” policeman, Weldon Haynie Thomas.
Clear glass towers rising in Manhattan belie a city where people are often not what they seem. For some here, identity is a performance of passing—passing for another race, for another class, for someone safe to trust. Thomas’s investigation illuminates the societies and secret societies, the intricate code of manners, the world of letters, and the broad social currents of 1920’s Harlem.
A Death in Harlem is an exquisitely crafted, briskly paced, and impeccably stylish journey back to a time still remembered as a peak of American glamour. It introduces Holloway as a fresh voice in storytelling and Weldon Haynie Thomas as an endearing and unforgettable detective.
THE AUTHOR
Karla FC Holloway is James. B. Duke Professor (Emerita) of English and Law at Duke University, where her research and teaching included African American literary and cultural studies, bioethics, gender, and law. She is the author of eight books, including Passed On: African-American Mourning Stories, Private Bodies/Public Texts: Race, Gender, and a Cultural Bioethics, and Legal Fictions: Constituting Race, Composing Literatures.
Advance Praise
“Holloway’s debut novel will take you on a journey that reveals a fresh, richly layered and rarely seen—or imagined—view of early twentieth-century black life and society. Fascinating characters, rich period detail, secrets, scandals, power, privilege, poverty, and plenty of plot twists make for an unforgettable and unflinching glimpse into a world that many will find surprising, mysterious, and possibly even mythical. Others of us know how real this world was, is. Nella would be pleased.” —Virginia DeBerry, author of Better Than I Know Myself
“A Death in Harlem is both a period novel and a deeply contemporary story with a symphony of memorable characters. The musical, personal voice of Karla Holloway animates this gripping tale full of mystery, humor, and saturated with African American cultural memory. —Emily Bernard, author Black is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine
Marketing Plan
Holloway and Northwestern University Press are working with Simone Cooper of Simone Cooper Public Relations on the launch of the novel. www.simonecooper.com 646.567.6951
Holloway and Northwestern University Press are working with Simone Cooper of Simone Cooper Public Relations on the launch of the novel. www.simonecooper.com 646.567.6951
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780810140813 |
| PRICE | $18.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 248 |
Links
Featured Reviews
Lee S, Bookseller
A Death in Harlem is a skillfully written fast paced, elegant journey back in time to Harlem in the 1920s and is told from the viewpoint of a black police officer who approaches his life and work with integrity. Intriguing characters, rich period detail, secrets, unethical behavior, control by those in positions of power, privilege, and poverty are some of the things highlighted. It delves into the challenges faced by white collar professionals and working class citizens, by rich and poor alike. It provides a glimpse into the struggles of the African American community and the sense of justice experienced in that place and time. This was an interesting and intriguing read, a journey back in time to get a glimpse of a glamorous, mysterious and provocative period in our history. I highly recommend this one! Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Book B, Reviewer
I was attracted to this story as I wanted a look into the past of 1920s Harlem. I got this in bucketloads and the jazz era, the hotels, the clubs and bars were a treat to visit. It's always good to visit a time and place you know little about and through the eyes of someone so different to yourself. Well a black police officer in the 1920s is pretty different and that was a real fascination for me.
Weldon Thomas is Harlem’s first “coloured policeman,” who is asked to look into the death of Olivia, a light skinned prominent socialite. The premise and background add so much to thiss tory from the beginning and the language used, the dialect and turns of phrase of the time really added to the overall feel of the story. The struggles of the African American community at this time, the struggles with those outside it and the sense of justice were all themes explored and examined along the way.
Characters were just a treat to read about - especially Welton. Oh and then there was Vera, Hughes. and , and Sadie the church lady.
An insight into a unique time and place and a strong central character. I hope there will be more in this series!
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