by Paul Beatty
First published 2021
DJ Darky has crafted what he believes is the perfect beat. Now he needs the right musician to complete his sonic vision. His search leads him to Charles Stone, an obscure avant-garde jazz artist who has disappeared into the labyrinth of newly unified Berlin. DJ Darky follows Stone's trail across the Atlantic, landing in a city still finding its identity after the fall of the Wall. He wanders Berlin's surreal streets, his mind spinning between thoughts of race and sex, love and German mythology, football strategy and jazz politics. Each step through the transformed cityscape brings him closer to Stone but deeper into questions about his own artistic purpose. This quest becomes more than hunting down a collaborator. DJ Darky must confront what he's really seeking in the chaos of a changing world.
Genres: fiction, art, african-american, contemporary, music, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, quest
Setting: Berlin
Period: 21st Century
244 pages · Kindle Edition · Farrar, Straus and Giroux