‘Trouble the Saints’ Is a Welcome Escape for Readers Who Miss NYC

Even with its enduring peculiarities, the pandemic has had its way of neutralizing New York. For many of us, it’s been reduced to a small apartment and a fading superiority complex of what the city has to offer over small towns, rationalizing the cost of living against an exodus to an undetermined somewhere. And if you’re anything like me, recent depictions of NYC feel eerie, almost like an urban version of the uncanny valley—resembling the city but uncomfortably divorced from an obvious reality. A solution I’ve found is leaning into NYC-based historical fiction, which is why I appreciated that Tor Books was willing to sponsor this review of Trouble the Saints. Set in 1940s Harlem, Trouble the Saints begins under the guise of standard noir fare: Phyllis—or Pea, as she’s called by those close to her—is a reluctant assassin caught between the mob, her conscience, and what could maybe be a normal life. What follows, though, is an exploration of race, power, and justice, as Pea, her lover Dev, and her best friend Tamara struggle with the fantastical twist of the 350-page novel: they have the gift of “hands,” a rare gift granted to people of color. Their gifts take different forms that implicitly frame their personalities, like a bending style from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Phyllis’s is one of dexterity and aim, lending her to violence as she uses throwing knives to kill the enemies of a mob boss named Vic, who would point her towards a target with a loose explanation to why the…