The Prophets
Ratings10
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings10
Average rating3.9
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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I found this book extremely difficult. It has a heavy, deep, theme in its discussion about homosexuality within slave communities in the US. These are deep and difficult subjects, which the book delved into with a suitable degree of sensitivity. The relationship and abuse of the era is powerfully documented.
This is definitely and unashamedly literary fiction. There is a beautiful poetic prose which becomes somewhat overly verbose for me. The flowery language hides are rather skimpy plot with very little in the way of development. The premise is simple enough - one of the slaves is trying to ingratiate himself with the owners by becoming a preacher and exposing the gay relationship that the central characters have. The hypocrisy and distrust pile upon each other. It is an interesting study in how such communities can end up pursuing their own. This is all very slow burn and buried in a very wordy style. Not a lot happened for most of the book.
I am not a big literary fiction fan and ultimately the prose really turned me off. This was way to verbose for me. I can appreciate that for those who like this style this could be a good work, but I found it all a bit obtuse and densely written, with the story buried to deep in the text to be clear and ultimately engaging. The themes are powerful and sympathetically written, but the writing style just was not for me.
esse é um livro forte, muito forte.
extremamente sensível, mas tão pesado porque obviamente estamos falando dos estados unidos em plena escravização de povos africanos, arrancados de África, mas retrata a história de dois garotos que encontram um no outro o conforto que os fazem acordar todos os dias para seguir em frente.
essa é uma história de amor, mas é difícil acompanhar como esses dois garotos tem que literalmente enfrentar até mesmo a própria vontade de estar juntos para conseguirem viver.
é lindo, sensível, forte, pesado, extremamente bem escrito com passagens que nos levam de volta aos ancestrais e que demonstra o quanto o Robert Jones, Jr. estudou para conseguir trazer uma obra tão completa.
o final é o que me deixou bem conflituoso porque eu não acredito muito em histórias LGBTQIAP+ que tem finais difíceis, mas ao mesmo tempo eu sinto que fez muito sentido narrativamente.
enfim, recomendo, amigos.
It is plain to see that this book is a love letter to the cannon of great African American writers and their works.It is heavily influenced by the authors Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Octavia Butler and Maya Angelou amongst others. This is a sweeping story following a plantation in the Deep South of America and follows the slaves Samuel and Isaiah. Sam and Isaiah form a budding sexual and intimate relationship despite their struggles to survive on the plantation. However their daily lives on the plantation are far from harmonious and it only gets worse for the two black men as the novel progresses.
The novel also focuses on different characters perspectives like the other slaves and the slave owners family. This novel also has similar supernatural / spiritual elements like The Water Dancer which I didn't enjoy as much as the main plot line but I do feel added to the overall epicness of the novel. This will not be great for readers who need propulsive writing as this book is lilting and more of a slow burn.
But I will be ordering this in physical copy at some point as I feel I haven't got the most out of this book in an ebook format. I would love to re read this book much more slowly and take my time to connect with the slower pacing and lyrical writing style. Although I do think the last quarter of the novel could have been more purposefully condensed.
Thank you to the author Robert Jones Jr., riverrun publishing and NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis held so much promise, but the storytelling left me wanting. Like a wagyu steak prepared by a vegan. (Spoken as a pescetarian...) After reading Kindred by Octavia Butler and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi this year, this one just fell flat in comparison. Jumping from point of view to point of view was disorienting. I had to take notes to keep names straight because they weren't characterized distinctly enough to tell apart. It felt like it was being dictated by someone without a vested interest in what was happening. Just informational almost as if written for a grade. To be clear, it isn't a bad book, I just did not appreciate the writing style. I can't give high ratings for representation alone. I did love the part when Maggie showed support for Samuel and Isaiah and agreed with the shadows that they were meant for a different time where they could be together.
