When No One Is Watching

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 7

Chapters 8-15

Chapter 16-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Gentrification is Grounded in Racism

Central to When No One is Watching is the issue of gentrification. In recent decades, gentrification has changed the racial makeup and socioeconomic reality of cities across America. The New York borough of Brooklyn used to be a refuge for immigrants and people of color who were not allowed to live in segregated neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods in Brooklyn have maintained their communities, but many people of color have also been forced out of their generational homes due to changes in business model and rent that come with gentrification. The assumption of gentrification is that it makes neighborhoods safer. This mentality is stepped in racist thought, because it assumes that communities of people of color are inherently dangerous.

The novel’s new white residents begin to plant racist thoughts of white fright from the moment they move in. They begin renovating houses that they buy and deem dirty or underdeveloped, thus degrading the lifestyle and wellbeing of the Black residents. They post complaints of crime and Black youth loitering, revealing a prejudice for Black people. They speak in terms of “us” and “them,” at first masking but later directly addressing the neighborhood’s racial divide. When Kim installs security cameras on her door, Alyssa Cole demonstrates the paranoia of white residents who wish to send a message that their neighbors are being watched. Furthermore, the white residents do not care to understand the Black residents, who have lived in the neighborhood for years, nor the rich culture and history of their shared neighborhood. This reiterates the false belief that communities have no value before gentrification.

A gentrifying slogan featured in the novel is “break and build.” To build a neighborhood in their image, gentrifiers must first break what already exists. This implies that gentrifiers know they are actively destroying a preexisting community and culture. This is especially important in considering the power of VerenTech. Companies that seek to buy land and control this land for profit must prove that their presence can contribute to a neighborhood’s economic and social well-being. VerenTech breaks down the neighborhood to purposefully rid it of Black residents who love their community and resist the company’s operations. Cole ultimately criticizes gentrification as racist and physically harmful to communities of color.

Knowledge of History is Crucial to Understanding the Present

Cole emphasizes the importance of understanding history, her novel opening with a historical tour of Brooklyn that highlights only white residents. Sydney Green decides to revise this historical narrative with her own tour that will feature the contributions and lives of Black residents. The neighborhood’s lack of a thorough tour is notable because it implies tourists are not interested in Black history.

Sydney’s passion for history inspires a research project that reveals historical facts directly tied to the novel’s contemporary situation. This research reveals a long history of redlining, gaslighting, and gentrification. In response to anti-slavery laws, white corporations had to reimagine the control of money and political power in Northern states like New York. Their efforts led to redlining and laws that forbade Black citizens from passing down their property to their children. This effectively destroyed Black people’s ability to develop generational wealth, thus ensuring that they would struggle with financial security for centuries. Where there is a struggle for financial security, there is also a lack of political power. In exploring history, Cole articulates the continued (albeit transformed) existence of racism and the socioeconomic dynamics of cities.

Paulette, an elderly Black resident, tells Sydney and Theo about blackouts in the 1970s. Though the blackouts were well known, they were assumed to be a symptom of poverty. However, Paulette blames white institutions of power for purposefully taking away electricity from Black neighborhoods to take away their autonomy. In the event of a blackout, the city could send fleets of police to restore order, even if the blacked-out neighborhood was peaceful. For Paulette, a blackout signifies the beginning of the breaking of a community. Because of this story, Sydney is able to recognize the signs of breaking when a blackout occurs the night of an important meeting at the hospital. Thus, knowledge of history saves Sydney and her Black neighbors.

The Value of Community

The novel actively criticizes systems of power that abuse and belittle minorities. However, Cole also infuses her novel with hope and messages of resilience and strength. She emphasizes the value of community, which saves the lives of the Brooklyn neighborhood’s Black residents.

Sydney moves back to Brooklyn because she is in desperate need of community. In Seattle, Sydney was more or less alone and fell victim to her ex-husband Marcus’s emotional abuse. With no one to turn to, her mental health suffered. Brooklyn promised a community that would rebuild Sydney, but she returned to a different place altogether. The Brooklyn she knew was made up of familiar and friendly faces—but now, gentrification has changed her neighborhood into an environment fraught with tension. As people start disappearing, Sydney finds herself becoming untethered.

Theo is also in search of community. He grew up moving from apartment to apartment, a member of an unstable family. As an adult, Theo lies his way into jobs, steals from others, and ingratiates himself to Kim and her family in his search for a unit. He is also the only new white neighbor who genuinely appreciates his Brooklyn neighborhood for its longtime residents. He envies and watches them from his window in an attempt to get to know them. Theo actively puts his life on the line for Sydney and his Black neighbors, further demonstrating his desire to be a part of a tight-knit community. Ultimately, both Sydney and Theo are literally and figuratively saved by a strong sense of community.

The gentrifier’s motto of “break and build” diminishes Brooklyn’s Black community. In destroying their neighborhood, VerenTech attempts to break their bonds. But in the end, the community comes together to save their fellow members and puts the Rejuvenation Plan to the torch—before coming together for a meal.