Staff Pick
What a book! Kunzru does something so far off the charts here, it's almost unbelievable. At its heart, this is a book about race, prejudice, white supremacy, and cultural appropriation. Kunzru manages to show just how rotten to the core race relations in the US are, through his two young, clueless, white guys who are obsessed with black music. Midway through the book, it jumps completely off the track and turns into another story all together. Kunzru's writing is gorgeous, even while depicting the horrific, and he turns this off-kilter story into pure genius. Watch for the nod to Claudia Rankine's Citizen at the end. This book is unlike anything you've read before; don't miss it. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post - NPR - GQ - Time - The Economist - Slate - HuffPost - Book Riot Ghost story, murder mystery, love letter to American music--White Tears is all of this and more, a thrilling investigation of race and appropriation in society today.
Seth is a shy, awkward twentysomething. Carter is more glamorous, the heir to a great American fortune. But they share an obsession with music--especially the blues. One day, Seth discovers that he's accidentally recorded an unknown blues singer in a park. Carter puts the file online, claiming it's a 1920s recording by a made-up musician named Charlie Shaw. But when a music collector tells them that their recording is genuine--that there really was a singer named Charlie Shaw--the two white boys, along with Carter's sister, find themselves in over their heads, delving deeper and deeper into America's dark, vengeful heart. White Tears is a literary thriller and a meditation on art--who owns it, who can consume it, and who profits from it.