Finalist for the National Book AwardInstant New York Times Bestseller “May this book cast its spell on all of us, restore to us some memory of our most warrior and softest selves.” —The New York Times Book Review “A new kind of epic…A grand achievement…While The Prophets’ dreamy realism recalls the work of Toni Morrison…its penetrating focus on social dynamics stands out more singularly.” —… penetrating focus on social dynamics stands out more singularly.” —Entertainment Weekly
A singular and stunning debut novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence.
Isaiah was Samuel’s and Samuel was Isaiah’s. That was the way it was since the beginning, and the way it was to be until the end. In the barn they tended to the animals, but also to each other, transforming the hollowed-out shed into a place of human refuge, a source of intimacy and hope in a world ruled by vicious masters. But when an older man—a fellow slave—seeks to gain favor by preaching the master’s gospel on the plantation, the enslaved begin to turn on their own. Isaiah and Samuel’s love, which was once so simple, is seen as sinful and a clear danger to the plantation’s harmony.
With a lyricism reminiscent of Toni Morrison, Robert Jones, Jr., fiercely summons the voices of slaver and enslaved alike, from Isaiah and Samuel to the calculating slave master to the long line of women that surround them, women who have carried the soul of the plantation on their shoulders. As tensions build and the weight of centuries—of ancestors and future generations to come—culminates in a climactic reckoning, The Prophets fearlessly reveals the pain and suffering of inheritance, but is also shot through with hope, beauty, and truth, portraying the enormous, heroic power of love.
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How devastating and glorious this is. Epic in its scale, intimate in its force, and lyrical in its beauty. The Prophets shakes right down to the bone what the American novel is, should do, and can be. That shuffling sound you hear is Morrison, Baldwin, and Angelou whooping and hollering both in pride, and wonder.
The Prophets is easily the most superb tutorial in writing and loving I have ever read. I’m convinced Morrison, Baldwin, and Bambara sat around sipping wine one night, talking about the day we’d read an offering like The Prophets. Robert Jones, Jr., is a once-in-a-generation cultural worker whose art thankfully will be imitated for generations.
So much history, painful, beautiful story of Love!
To deep and poetic for my liking. Difficult for me to establish the basis and meaning of the story line by jumping sets of characters between chapters.
A masterpiece! Wonderfully written.
Difficult read because of subject matter, but important information
It’s been a long time since I read/listened to a book this good. I approached it with trepidation, sure it would be Too Literary For Me, that the author would take center stage, that the story would hold me at a distance, that I wouldn’t care about the characters. Magical realism doesn’t usually work for me either.
I was wrong. This is dreamlike, and I won’t pretend I understood it all–this is a novel that will be analyzed in college lit courses and dissertations. But the writing is so powerful, the characters so compelling, I found myself entranced. I kept thinking “Yes!” I loved the parts set in Africa.
I think the reason this novel resonated with me is that in spite of the tragic elements, it’s a celebration of the power of love–refreshing and revolutionary in literary historical fiction or “serious” fiction in general. Here, that love is Black and queer, making it all the more remarkable. I’ll be listening to this one again.
“My son, some people’s hearts, they just… They just beat the wrong way.”
Let me start by saying there’s no way my words will do this book justice. Robert Jones Jr.’s The Prophets is a heartbreakingly beautiful, uncomfortable and remarkable book that’s both historical and literary fiction and left me speechless.
“Swirling beneath him were the ways in which not having lawful claim to your own self diminished you, yes, but in another way condemned those who invented the disconnection.”
Set on a plantation nicknamed Empty in the Deep South, slaves Isaac and Samuel find comfort in each other despite the cruelty of their situation. While theirs is the central story, the POV and timeline shifts to share the stories of others on Empty, both enslaved and slavers, as well their ancestorsFrom the plains of Africa and the slave ships crossing the Atlantic to those brought to Empty and those born there, each experiences is another piece of the puzzle that is destined to lead to a tragic conclusion. Jones shines a light on the Black LGBTQ experiences that are often missing from historical record and also shows a multidimensional view of the slaves at Empty – what brings them joy, what they dream about and who and how they love – in a way I haven’t seen on the page before.
“Water done wore away at her stone, and the next thing she knew, she was a damn river when could have sworn she was a mountain.”
Jones’ lyrical language transports you to the these times and places and despite the difficult subject matter, I didn’t want to put the book down. Robert Jones Jr. is an important new voice in American fiction. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
What a rare marvel this book is. The Prophets fashions an epic so rich in erudition, wisdom, clarity, and power, so full of hard-earned yet too-brief joys, that it reaffirms for me literature’s place as both balm and scalpel for the mind and soul. You can feel the decades of thinking embedded not only in these sentences but in how they question and build a world shamefully amputated from textbooks. Rarely is a book this finely wrought, the lives and histories it holds so tenderly felt, and rendered unforgettably true.
I’ve loved the writing of Robert Jones, Jr., for years, and The Prophets is an absolute triumph, a symphonic evocation of the heights and depths of pain, joy, and love.
In The Prophets, Robert Jones, Jr.’s lens is at once epic and microscopic, equally capable of evoking historical crises and interpersonal ones. Painfully harsh and painfully tender, this inventive, kaleidoscopic love story is a marvel.
It is impossible to adequately describe or review The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. There is so much to this book, I am stunned in the best possible way. And after reading it, to realize that this is a debut novel, OMG, I cannot fathom it!
The story centers on Isaiah and Samuel, two gay slaves who each finds himself made whole by the other. Their love is the driving force behind a brutal, raw, unflinching, and fascinating look at life on a Mississippi plantation as told through the viewpoints of various slaves, the plantation owner, his wife and son, and the overseers. Jones does an excellent job of imparting the history and culture of the peoples enslaved and brought to America in ships of agonizing misery, a culture that comes with them and serves as a lifeline for the slaves moving forward, despite all the attempts of their owners to strip it from them.
Words fail me, but they certainly didn’t fail Robert Jones Jr.! This is a powerful and impactful story that must be read, and told, and shared. The ugly is laid bare for all to see, to understand, to accept as one of the truth horrendous truths of our country’s history. It is also about finding who you are and were always meant to be, about learning to accept and support one another, about moving on to build your future and find the love we all deserve. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Thank-you!
My thanks to NetGalley and publisher GP Putnam & Sons for allowing me to read a copy of the novel which will be published 1/5/2021. All opinions expressed here are my own.
“Discretion is advised, particularly for [rape] survivors” according to the author.
This is a hard book to read. Not because it is badly written – no, quite the contrary. It is beautifully written, lyrical even. It is the subject matter – the enslavement of men and women’s bodies and their souls as well.
Jones skillfully uses the language of the times – adding to authenticity of his words – to carry his story of love and hatred, of viciousness and kindness, hope and despair – into the twenty-first century. The story of Isaiah and Samuel will haunt readers long after they finish the book.
This is a historical novel is stunning, but it is not the usual novel, not by a long shot. Every single fan of the genre needs to put this book at the top of their to-be-read list.
My thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for an eARC.
The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. is an excellent novel that is part general fiction part historical fiction part literary masterpiece.
This novel is set mainly within and around a plantation in the Deep South. We see the inner relations, workings, and community within this environment. This is also the story of two enslaved men: Samuel and Isaiah. What we are privy to is just stunning.
What I loved about this book:
1. The literary descriptions of the landscape, locations, and culture was just beautiful. I literally felt as if I was there.
2. This book was obviously a difficult read in regards to the subject matter. The author made the journey possible by the choices of dialogue, pace, plot, and character cast. The religious tones weaved into the narrative added another layer of complexity to the book, however did not deter from the main storyline. I flew through the pages eager to find out what was next and completed this book in a fraction of the time I projected it would take.
3. The two main characters, Samuel and Isaiah, were excellent. Their relationship, their passion, fire, faults, emotions, depth, and actions all brought this book to life.
The fundamental themes of hardship, pain, suffering, suffocation, and anger towards ourselves and others as well as the atrocities of what the characters experienced during this time is very serious and heavy indeed. The impressive part was the author’s ability to plant seeds of love, hope, loyalty, perseverance, resilience, and acceptance within the book allowed for small glimpses and seedlings to sprout through despite the obstacles presented.
After I finished this book, I felt like a had just witnessed something deeply personal, yet something so creative and special that it must be something that others should experience as well.
Very impressive, especially for a debut novel. I look forward to future works from this talented author.
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.