Federation For The Like-Minded by Sidik Fofana, 2022
The magic trick:
A brilliant breaking of the fourth wall at the story’s end
We close our week of stories from Sidik Fofana’s amazing Stories From The Tenants Downstairs collection. And in the case of today’s feature, I’m going to do something I haven’t done on the SSMT website before. Typically, even when we’re pulling stories from a collection, I only look at the story within its own context. But here, I think it’s exciting to talk about what Fofana is doing with this story as the final entry in his collection.
It’s the story of a man who likes to play chess outdoors, across the street from his apartment building. The story does an interesting thing, tying up several of the collection’s themes and ideas – namely, the power of community for good and bad and maybe the comic absurdity of what happens when people are thrown together for any reason.
The true marvel, though, is the closing paragraphs, wherein Fofana through his chess-playing narrator seems to break the fourth wall and nod to his reading audience. Our narrator is talking to the patrons of the new bougie restaurant that’s moved onto his block. But it makes me wonder if Fofana is slyly acknowledging that his book about the people of a Harlem apartment building might serve as a gateway for many readers into a world they’ve known nothing of.
The final words of this story – and of the collection – serve as a brilliant goodbye/welcome.
And that’s quite a trick on Fofana’s part.
The selection:
Next time you in there with your buddies drinkin a glass of the finest, could you lean in and ask them what they got goin on in the way of recreation? If they enjoy things that work the brain and open the heart? If yes, tell them to cross the street and check me out. They wouldn’t be sorry they did.
Anyhow, regardless of how this goes, grateful for the time. This sure is a beautiful city, isn’t it? Don’t worry, I can carry everything back with me. See the boards stack in the crate like this, the table folds up, and the legs guide me home. Anyhow, promise me you’ll do what I said. Wednesdays, after sundown you hear? And Saturdays past noon. I’ll be right here.
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