THE PROPHETS by Robert Jones Jr

"The past had no use other than to dredge uo pain and mystery and, thus, to confound. And there were already too many things in the present that made no damn sense. So the future was the only possible place where he might find resolution."

The Prophets and emotive story of the love of two queer slaves during antebellum in Southern America. It sweeps across time and draws the reader into a story that has not been told before.

The novel is told from multiple perspectives of the individuals who live on Empty plantation, slave and slave owners. There are also chapters from the African ancestors, the Kosongo people who have much more fluid relations with gender and sexuality. By doing this Robert Jones Jr depicts the inequalities of power, the destructive nature of colonial power and how the god of the white man distorted love between man.

In framing the novel from multiple perspectives Jones Jr also provides considerable nuance and complexity to his characters as we see the torment and considerable conflict in identities across all characters. It also serves to draw out the more sinister side to some of the characters and shows unsettling power dynamics between the genders, between parent and children; in addition to the those power dynamics across race.

The narrative is lyrical, rather slow and meandering in style as the descriptions come in both exquisite and visceral detail which makes it both incredibly pleasant and uncomfortable to read. I found the narrative a little difficult to begin with, but ultimately this novel is a craft and one that rewards the readers who perserve.

The Prophets is unforgettable book and although the love between Isaiah and Samuel shines through it is not without pain. It brought tears to my eyes by the end which was actually unexpected because as much as I thought it was good, I didn't think I'd connected with the characters that much. However, I was proved wrong. The brilliance of this book is the subtle of the relationships and the connection that is created with Isaiah and Samuel who almost certainly have a little piece of my heart. The Prophets demands attention and rightly so.

Thank you to @quercusbooks and @riverrun for the gifted proof.