Hari Kunzru - White Tears
Kunzru’s powerhouse fifth novel, now in paperback, starts with a pair of New York-based “audio craftsmen” obsessed with acquiring vintage LPs, especially early blues recordings. Caught up in the chase, and wanting “authentic” blues without considering what went into them, these white men have no idea what’s really at stake. They start to get an idea as they pursue the legendary Charlie Shaw, a black Mississippi bluesman who disappeared on his way to his first—and only?—recording session in the 1920s. Or is Shaw pursuing them? Kunzru, author of Gods Without Men, lets Shaw fill in the details of the pain and suffering that generated his songs, denying white music buffs their usual shortcuts and forcing all of us to hear what’s been tuned out over the years.
