The End of a Primitive

Two lives spiral into a chaotic, fatal pas de deux during a weekend of sex, alcohol and violence—from the acclaimed author of the Harlem Detectives series

Years ago, Jesse Robinson and Kriss Cummings had a passionate weekend in Chicago, but they haven’t seen each other since. Jesse’s career as a novelist has been trending downward, and much of his time is spent drinking and brooding in his Harlem tenement. Kriss is divorced and infertile, disillusioned with her life and often seeking out intimacy with Black men. When they meet again, this time drinking excessively and sniping at each other, sexual frustration and resentment with their marginal lives mount as they hurtle toward a macabre climax.

Taking place over the course of a bourbon-soaked weekend in 1952, The End of a Primitive tells the story of two absurd lives in McCarthy-era New York that are fated to end in destruction.