By: Mat Johnson Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Bloomsbury USA Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 288 Publication Date: June 19, 2004
Horizon Realty is bringing Harlem back to its Renaissance. With the help of Cedric, Bobby, and Horus-three ex-cons trying to forge a new life-Horizon clears out the rubble and the rabble, filling once-dilapidated brownstones with black professionals handpicked for their shared vision of Harlem as a shining icon for the race. And fate seems to be working in Horizon's favor: Harlem's undesirable tenants seem increasingly clumsy of late, meeting early deaths by accident. As an ambitious reporter, Piper Goines, begins to investigate the neighborhood's extraordinarily high accident rate, Horizon's three employees find themselves fighting for their souls and their very lives-against a backdrop of some of the most beautiful brownstones in all of Manhattan.
Murder for the Greater Good After the success of his debut novel Drop, Mat Johnson has returned to the literary scene with his second novel, winner of the 2004 Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for fiction, HUNTING IN HARLEM. This the story of three ex-cons who are recruited by a Harlem real estate company to get a second chance at making good with their lives. Horizon Realty has set a plan in motion to stop the gentrification of Harlem by upper class whites and reinvigorate a sagging economy by re-populating the neighborhood with good, honest, black folk. But like any area suffering from urban blight, you have your unwanted denizens: the pushers, the whores, the child molesters, and the gun runners. It's hard to create a family neighborhood with these types as residents; so when they start to have convenient accidents, it's all good.
Snowden, Bobby, and Horus begin life after incarceration as interns with Horizon, literally working their way from the bottom up. Supposedly, they will be introduced to the world of real estate and trained to be real estate agents. But the trio soon discovers that they were chosen for their new jobs specifically because of their pasts. Snowden's lover, Piper Goines, is a reporter for a local minority owned newspaper, and it isn't long before she senses something foul at Horizon and starts investigating.
Mat Johnson has used his considerable talents to explore current urban social problems, but he also touches on cultural pursuits by subtly raising the topic of popular urban fiction and the lack of love received by black writers who study their craft and spend years writing literate, thought-provoking books only to be outsold by upstarts supplying readers with "melaninized, low-tech versions of their afternoon soaps." Johnson, as usual, is smart, witty, and destined to be one of his generation's best writers. The plot moves quickly once the introductory matter is out of the way. A well-executed example of fine literature, HUNTING IN HARLEM will keep you thinking about contemporary urban issues... and looking over your shoulder.
Reviewed by Kim Anderson Ray of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
What a flop! The opening paragraph was the best part of this novel. It offered great promise for an engaging story but failed to deliver. The story opens with three ex-cons being recruited by a community development organization to help return Harlem to black folks. As the author clunks along with the story, we learn of the many "accidents" that befall the undesirables in the neighborhood and get a few obviously placed statements about attributes that need to be acquired by African Americans. "Bobby actually believed in what Lester and the congressman were telling him, bought into all of it from the start. Horus was the same way, never questioning, never complaining." This is only one example of the didactic tone of the novel and the author's lack of creativity in trying to make his point. There was more than one instance when I felt that the author was actually trying to trick me into finishing the novel. Using an unsuccessful book, "The Great Work", written by one of the characters, Johnson discusses the mistreatment of black literature and uses this commentary to entice his reader to stick with the book. That ploy simply didn't work on me. After 100 pages into the novel I simply gave up. The writing is dull, the characters are flat and the story lacks any feel of realism. Furthermore, the story seems absent of language that engages the imagination or paints a picture. He dictates each chapter like a witness at a deposition. I'm not sure what other reviewers found in this book that I missed but I certainly can't recommend this one.
Some of the Best Fiction in Years I've never been a fan of the mystery/thriller genre and this book encompases neither genre. What 'Hunting in Harlem' is is one of the strongest pieces of fiction writing/literature in the last 30 years. Johnson's novel is strong on characters who keep you pulleld into the book and you're very happy to stay there. What makes this novel so good is Johnson's ability to weave words with the ease of the Modernists and the grace of post-modern writers. Never one to hold himself above language, Johnson's second novel is nothing short of brilliant, and I say this after reading it 3 times. Can't wait for his next novel to come out...Get a move-on, Johnson!
Marvelous! Loved it! This book will keep you enthralled. Never a dull moment here. Mat Johnson is a master of plot, character and humor.
Mat Johnson, boo yah! Hunting in Harlem is a book that offers brilliant insight into the simplistically complex world of Harlem. His prose is concise and perplexing, his style is always fluid, never allowing the reader a second to question this thought-provoking story. The use of Dark Humor is top notch, unsurpassed in the modern era. I am anxiously awaiting Mat's next novel.
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