by Chester Himes
After reading it I was impressed. Himes doesn't waste prose. He describes things quickly but not to the point where you get bored reading it. He paints a picture and lets the reader fill in the rest. There is some humor within the pages but it's not slapstick. It's more subtle. And at least in this story, which also serves as the introduction to the rough black detectives Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, the detectives are not humorous at all. They aren't interested as much in protecting citizens as they are in defeating any challenges to their personal authority. They are not nice people.
Himes writes: Grave Digger and Coffin Ed weren't crooked detectives, but they were tough. They had to be tough to work in Harlem. Colored folks didn't respect colored cops. But they respected big shiny pistols and sudden death. It was said in Harlem that Coffin Ed's pistol would kill a rock and that Grave Digger's would bury it. They took their tribute like all real cops, from the established underworld catering to the essential needs of the people--gamekeepers, madams, streetwalkers, numbers writers, numbers bankers. But they were rough on purse snatchers, muggers, burglars, con men, and all strangers working any racket. And they didn't like rough stuff from anybody else but themselves. "Keep it cool", they warned. "Don't make graves."
Jackson is left holding the bag. Jackson quickly makes some poor decisions which lead to him being wanted by the police and becoming poorer than before. Desperate, Jackson turns to his brother Goldy. Goldy makes a living working the streets of Harlem dressed as a Sister of Mercy and taking monetary donations. Goldy is street smart. He soon learns the identities of the dangerous men working with Imabelle. Goldy recognizes that Imabelle is playing Jackson. Goldy uses his network to look for the men running the counterfeit scheme. But Jackson and Imabelle have their own plans. Grave Digger and Coffin Ed don't like Goldy. In fact they despise him. He violates their ideas of masculinity. But they'll use him as an informer. Soon some very dangerous people and one very foolish one (Jackson) are searching Harlem for each other.
Himes doesn't spell things out or beat the reader over the head with social commentary. That stuff is baked in the cake. Himes, through his characters, offers some piquant observations on racism, classism, colorism, sexuality, gender roles, religion, morality, hypocrisy and police brutality. A running joke is that Jackson, a gentle soul despite his situation, is constantly calling upon his pastor for help and advice. His pastor is not at all interested in his parishioner's problems. He would rather get back to sleep, count the church's money or finish a luxurious dinner, all while peevishly lecturing others on Christian charity. There is some very dark comedy here, often unwittingly provided by Jackson, who refuses to believe what everyone else immediately sees about Imabelle. This is an energetic story. At 159 pages A Rage in Harlem is a welcome reminder that compelling tales can be concise. You can see how this may have influenced later writers like Walter Mosley. Himes lets the reader experience a bygone Harlem. It is also interesting to see how publishing standards have changed. Apparently it was fine to use racial slurs but the ubiquitous slur "muyerfuyer" is here transfigured into "mother-raper".
