Behold the Dreamers
SynopsisPlot
Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son. In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clark demands punctuality, discretion, and loyalty—and Jende is eager to please. Clark’s wife, Cindy, even offers Neni temporary work at the Edwardses’ summer home in the Hamptons. With these opportunities, Jende and Neni can at last gain a foothold in America and imagine a brighter future.
Story
About this book
Jende Jonga leaves Cameroon in 2004, arriving in New York City on a visitor's visa with hopes of building a permanent life in the United States. After saving enough to bring his wife, Neni, and their young son to join him, the family settles into an apartment in Harlem. In the fall of 2007, Jende secures a position as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clark expects discretion, punctuality, and loyalty. Jende is determined to deliver all three.
The arrangement soon extends to Neni, who takes on temporary work with the Edwards family at their summer home in Southampton. But proximity to the couple's private life exposes cracks that neither Jende nor Neni anticipated. Clark's late hours and unexplained appointments unsettle his wife, Cindy, whose own difficulties become increasingly visible. The Jongas find themselves holding uncomfortable knowledge about their employers while facing the separate, constant pressure of Jende's uncertain immigration status.
Set against the months leading into the 2008 financial crisis, the novel tracks how two households at very different economic levels are pulled apart by forces largely outside their control. Questions of obligation, secrecy, and belonging run through the story, shaped by the specific geography of Harlem, midtown Manhattan, and the Hamptons.
