Colson Whitehead’s latest novel, Cool Machine, serves as the final installment in his trilogy of Harlem crime stories. These novels center around Ray Carney, a Harlem furniture salesman. His shop, featuring the motto ‘Nice furniture for nice people,’ has been a neighborhood staple for many years. As Ray observes the surrounding apartments, he imagines the lives behind the windows. Maybe one of his deluxe loungers is bringing comfort to someone or a family is gathered around one of his dinettes. Ray is depicted as both a sentimental family man and someone involved in the shadow economy.

The sense of nostalgia in Cool Machine reflects Whitehead’s understanding of New York City living. Once you’ve experienced life in the city for long enough, every trip through its streets becomes a journey into the past. This sentiment is further portrayed through Ray’s character, who often glances skyward, lost in thought.

The nostalgic atmosphere in Cool Machine emerges not from subdued prose, but from the reader’s realization that this novel marks the end of a journey with a unique group of characters. Whitehead’s writing captures a familiar feeling of reminiscence, as readers bid farewell to this memorable cast of misfits and nonconformists.