Viper's Dream
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WINNER OF THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD 2024! For fans of Colson Whitehead and Wild Women and the Blues, Viper's Dream is a gritty, daring look at the vibrant jazz scene of midcentury Harlem, and one man’s dreams of making it big and finding love in a world that wants to keep him down. Harlem, 1936. Clyde “The Viper” Morton boards a train from Alabama to Harlem to chase his dreams of being a jazz musician. When his talent fails him, he becomes caught up in the dangerous underbelly of Harlem’s drug trade. In this heartbreaking novel, one man must decide what he is willing to give up and what he wants to fight for. Viper's Dream is a fast-paced story that is charged with suspense. A snappy, provocative voice and a stark look at Viper’s Black American experience weave with endless plot twists to offer readers a stunningly original, achingly beautiful read.
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This story has really good bones, unfortunately I felt that I never got enough of Viper's inner life to get invested in him as a character or on his love for Harlem after he initially fell in love with it to get invested in the setting. I saw the things he did but it all felt clinical and it only rarely felt engaging even though a lot of tragic events happed to him. I assume the intent was to convey Viper's own sense of disconnect from his own actions but the result wasn't convincing for me.
I ended up being more invested in Yolanda whom I found to be a tragic but sweet character and Pork Chop who seemed to have a richer inner life but sadly we don't get their side of the story.
I received a review copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
