Haarlem - by Heather Neff (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"The only thing that'll last forever is my Thirst . . . ."

So says Abel Crofton as he explores the streets and canals of Amsterdam. A New York tunnel worker who's struggling to stay sober after years of alcoholism, Abel is searching for the mother he's never known. Despite having few clues as to her whereabouts, he soon finds a bureaucratic trail that takes him to Haarlem, the Dutch town from which the famed African-American neighborhood takes its name.

As Abel ventures into more new territory, he also takes on his identity as a Black man, his rough childhood in Harlem, New York, his relationship to his bitter father, and his battle with addiction. The questions around his life only get more complicated after he meets a coldly direct waitress and a ragged jazz musician, both also bearing major scars from their pasts. The road leads to Haarlem for them as well.

Welcome to Abel's search for salvation in another tight page turner from Heather Neff.

Review Quotes

"Heather Neff's voice is blessed with a sustained and beautiful triumph of truth that cries out with anguish, anger, and love for a people and place. Haarlem sings so saintly that somewhere James Baldwin is smiling."--Ernesto Quiñonez, author of Bodega Dreams and Chango's Fire

"With Haarlem, Heather Neff takes on a male voice and gives us a riveting look into the mind of a character who convincingly comes to grips with his fractured life. This is a book you won't put down easily."
--Ian Smith, M.D., author of The Blackbird Papers

"A writer with depth, a sense of place, and a profound understanding of the human mind."
--Black Issues Book Review

About the Author

Heather Neff is the award-winning author of novels and poetry reflecting her years as a resident of Paris, Switzerland, the Caribbean, and the U.S. Described as an author whose "voice is blessed with a sustained and beautiful . . . truth," Neff dives deep into struggles for identity, the recovery of lost heritage, and the triumph of love over addiction, intimate partner violence, and the challenges of time.