Deacon King Kong

by James McBride

Literary Fiction

Historical Fiction

Crime

370 Pages

"McBride has created something magical—Deacon King Kong is hilarious and heartbreaking, a sprawling love letter to Brooklyn that reveals how communities hold each other up against impossible odds."

Synopsis

The funny, sharp, and surprising story of the shooting of a Brooklyn drug dealer and the people who witnessed it—from James McBride, author of the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird. In September 1969, a fumbling, cranky old church deacon known in the neighborhood as Sportcoat shuffles into the courtyard of the Causeway Housing project in south Brooklyn, pulls a .38 from his pocket, and in front of everybody shoots the project's drug dealer at point-blank range. The reasons for this desperate burst of violence and the consequences that spring from it lie at the heart of Deacon King Kong, McBride's first novel since his National Book Award winner. McBride brings to vivid life the people affected by the shooting: the victim, the African-American and Latinx residents who witnessed it, the white neighbors, the local NYPD cops assigned to investigate, the members of the Five Ends Baptist Church where Sportcoat was deacon, the neighborhood's Italian mobsters, and Sportcoat himself. As the story deepens, it becomes clear that the lives of these characters—caught in the tumultuous swirl of New York in the late 1960s—overlap in unexpected ways. When the truth finally emerges, McBride shows us that not all secrets can be hidden, that the best way to grow is to face change without fear, and that the seeds of love lie in compassion and hope.

Our Take

James McBride has crafted a sprawling, joyous novel that somehow balances laugh-out-loud humor with profound insights about community, loss, and survival. Deacon King Kong begins with what seems like a simple crime story—why did an elderly alcoholic church deacon shoot a young drug dealer?—but unfolds into a rich tapestry of interconnected lives in 1969 Brooklyn. McBride populates the Causeway Housing Projects with an unforgettable ensemble cast: Sportcoat himself, perpetually drunk on his homemade "King Kong" moonshine and conversing with his dead wife; the mobsters who control the neighborhood cheese racket; the earnest cops trying to navigate racial tensions; and the church ladies who form the moral backbone of the community. What makes the novel extraordinary is McBride's ability to render each character with dignity and humanity, revealing how seemingly disparate communities—Black, Puerto Rican, Italian, Irish—are bound together by shared history and mutual dependence. The prose crackles with energy and dialect, capturing the rhythms of street life and church services alike. McBride writes about structural racism and poverty without losing his sense of humor or hope, showing how people create meaning and joy even in difficult circumstances. The plot involves mobsters, missing church funds, a mysterious treasure, and several love stories, all woven together with remarkable skill. Readers who loved Colson Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle or appreciated the ensemble storytelling of The Wire will be captivated. For anyone seeking fiction that celebrates community resilience with both comedy and compassion, Deacon King Kong is a triumphant achievement.