It is a work of crime fiction and a family saga that takes place in Harlem during three periods: 1971, 1973, and 1976, the year of the United States Bicentennial celebration.

"[1] According to Evan Kindley, writing for The New Republic, in recent decades, there has been a meaningful rebirth in the historical fiction genre.

Kindley, citing a literary scholar, also points out that most of the novels nominated for major American awards since 2000 are historical fiction.

[3] In Kindley's view, Colson Whitehead has been impactful as an author advancing the rise of historical fiction during the 21st century.

The magazine's critical summary reads: "The book is both fast-paced and meditative, tragic and joyful, and the social commentary is spot-on.

"[9] Writing for The New York Times Book Review, Walter Mosley described the novel as a "dazzling treatise, a glorious and intricate anatomy of the heist, the con and the slow game.