I truly cannot believe this is a debut novel. Forewarning, this book is uncomfortable, it is painful, it is heartbreaking. Please check the trigger warnings before reading. I truly do not believe that I am the same person I was before reading this. At its core, it’s a love story, the love that Samuel and Isaiah share is entwined in almost every piece of it. The Prophets, however, is not a romanticized slave story, it’s brutal and raw. 

The multiple POV’s gave each character so much depth, even the white slavers. Timothy thought he was more progressive than his parents, even as he raped Samuel and Isaiah. Paul and Ruth are entitled and truly believe that God willed them to own slaves, we even see Paul tackle the idea that slaves have souls, then uses the Bible to justify his actions again. Maggie was my absolute favorite character. She was so complex and vengeful and I cheered for her quiet acts of resistance even as Paul and Ruth sought to embarrass her. 

Jones’ prose is rich and provoking and I saved dozens and dozens of quotes. I loved how the stories intertwined, from before the time of slaves, before Samuel and Isaiah, and the time of Samuel and Isaiah. I loved the biblical themes mixed with Maggie’s goddesses. I loved the juxtaposition of ‘The Two of Them’. Isaiah is full of love and something else and is the complete opposite of Samuel, who is the physical embodiment of where they live, ‘Empty’. And through them both, we see hope and the progression of resistance inspired by love. 

The rebellion may have started with the attempted hanging of Samuel, and ended with the loss of Isaiah but Samuel was the one who continued to carry on Isaiah’s love onward into the future. I could probably write an entire essay on Amos’ character and the themes of religion versus love and how the entirely of The Prophets but specifically the ending encapsulated it fully.