I requested this book because my friend was raving about it and I see why! This will easily be one of the biggest books of the year. It's masterfully written. Trigger warning: rape scenes.

The Prophets is a dreamlike, poetic book, with parallels running throughout that can be transplanted to today’s society when one considers the book with some perspective.

A sprawling plot, which focuses mainly on the two protagonists, Isaiah and Samuel, two slaves working for a Deep South plantation , who find solace in forbidden love and the freedom that allows them to transcend from their brutal reality, often expands to tell ancestral tales that delve into the history of slavery.

Religion is a strong theme that can be overtly seen through the naming of the chapters (most being named after bible books), but also through the imagery evoked by Jones Jr. Horrific, unsettling actions, graphic in their depiction, are juxtaposed against florid, poetic language to leave one reeling.

One of The Prophets’ strengths is its strong cast of supporting characters, with the female characterisation being particularly well fleshed out.

Whilst this is a book that will linger in the memory and worthy of the acclaim that it has received since publication, the writing was somewhat overwrought in places, to the point of distraction. This is a read that does not flow as one would expect, but needs to be digested in parts to fully appreciate. I felt certain sections difficult to understand through the overuse of metaphors on the first read and personally felt the book would have been no poorer for certain omissions of such sections.

This however, is my only criticism and is a book I would ultimately recommend.

I do feel that everyone needs to read this book. Not only is it educational, it’s moving and full of the most delicate description.

I love this book and I will be reading it again - it had me thinking of Alice Walker’s ‘The Color Purple’ and how far nations still need to go in order to appreciate and promote all cultures.

This was heart wrenching. Thanks for letting me have a head start on what will be a very popular and well known books in the months and years to come!

This is the debut novel of Jones, Jr that he spent over 13 years writing. It’s a story of Samuel and Isaiah who are two slaves on the Halifax plantation. They meet in boyhood and over time find their own joy and freedom in their love for one another. Over the course of the novel their clandestine relationship becomes more widely known with repercussions for everyone on the plantation.

Jones Jr’s writing is so vivid and descriptive that by the end I felt that I could have drawn and mapped out the whole of the plantation for others to see. It holds nothing back in the way that slaves were treated like cattle by their slave owners, and the sections of seeing one character’s transportation on a slave boat are correctly harrowing to read. A section by the character Amos towards the end of the novel helps you to understand why slaves could not just easily run away to the more liberal northern parts of America.

The books helps to show how far America has come as a country but also how much it still needs to move forward. One scene talking of a slave who has his neck being crushed and unable to breath was written before the events of last year and are based on true accounts from the period.

I imagine this will make at least the long list if not the short list of a number of literary prizes and is well worth a read.

Coming to the end, I felt stunned and numb and full of a suddenly roaring silence that pulsed in my ears and behind my eyes. Then I turned to the acknowledgements, and the tears came.

I haven't yet read many of the novelists & thinkers that have shaped Jones Jr., but in the immensity of the gratitude, the memory, the grace he extends, I see the quality that makes this book feel particular & alive; it is many-voiced, it sees & remembers & connects, it is empathetic and sensitive and unflinching in the face of both brutality & sublimity.

You can write a very long review or you can go to the point and say this is an amazing book: lyrical, emotionally charged, disturbing, enthralling and amazing.
You can use all the possible adjective but at the end of the day I only want to say that I loved it and it's one of the best book I read in some time.
A great debut and I hope we will be able to read a lot of other great book by this author.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The is a heavy weighted subject area, and the author executes its delivery well. It’s a shame that it perhaps won’t receive the platform it deserves with the current climates restrictions dampening everything, but I am sure the gem will have a resurgence in popularity once word gets probably around how great the book is.

The Prophets tells the incredibly sad story of two enslaved men, Isaiah and Samuel, and their love story. It tells the story of the enslaved women that loved them, protected them and their love with all the means they had.
This novel is beautifully written and lyrical, as it mixes biblical and colloquial language.
I really enjoyed this book, although it is very slow paced, and very graphic. I also feel that if you aren’t so familiar with the bible it might detract from the experience: most chapters are named after bible books, and not knowing much about them I think some of the meaning was lost to me.
Nonetheless, I can see why this will be one of the big books of 2021, as the writing is incredible and the story that is told an important recount of love and sorrow.
This is a must for any 2021 TBR!

Unfortunately I DNFd this at 30%. The premise of the story was very interesting but I just couldn’t get along with the writing style. I also lost track of some of the characters along the way. I really wanted to like this book, but it wasn’t for me this time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers to for sending me this novel to review.
Samuel and Isaiah are two teenage slaves working on the Elizabeth Plantation. The Plantation is also called The Empty which is a fitting description of the place which is empty of all kindness to and respect for the slaves who are treated as if they were empty chattels. In fact, there is a long discussion if the nigger even has a soul! Samuel and Isaiah tend to the animals in the barn and in this atmosphere of intense misery and cruelty they find mutual love which is described by Robert Jones Jr. with great sensitivity and tenderness. There is an occasional reference to the roof of the barn through which the moonlight enters and shines on them. This in fact is symbolic: they are the ray of light and hope in the atmosphere of darkness even though they are doubly isolated: first from the white men and then from the other slaves as well.
Paul and Ruth the members of the ‘Big House’ are Christians and when Amos, a slave decided to bring Christianity into the lives of the other slaves, the consequences are disastrous. Amos, foolishly believes that converting to Christianity would keep him in the good books of the masters and save him and his family. He proclaims that the relationship between Samuel and Isaiah is forbidden by the Bible and, hence, it is an abomination. The Christian dictum of go forth and multiply is used only to provide more slaves for the masters of this plantation.
In fact, it is religion which is an important theme in the novel. Jones takes us back in time to the past where the country is ruled by King Akusa. The tribe is visited by Gabriel and other white men who are horrified when they witness the wedding of two men. They fervently believe that the tribe would benefit from the doctrines of Christianity but King Akusa, a forward-thinking woman retorts whom her subjects wish to marry is their business. The author portrays a vibrant and tolerant society which seems to have been destroyed by the white men and the advent of Christianity.
All the white men are portrayed in a very bad light. Paul does not hesitate to rape the women and even asks one of them to hold his penis while he urinates. Ruth tries to unsuccessfully seduce Samuel and when she fails, she levies charges against them and has them dragged and whipped mercilessly. His foreman and cousin, James, is the very devil incarnate who carries out the tortures of the slaves. Even the son, Timothy, who seems to be forward thinking, makes promises—of freeing the slaves when he takes over the plantation—which seem merely to entice Isaiah and Samuel into his bed.
The story is told from several points of view. The structure of the novel like a wheel: the main characters on the periphery tell their own stories but they are also linked to the two young men who form the hub. The writing is lyrical and beautiful; however, sometimes Jones seems to be a bit self-indulgent. Some of the descriptions and the commentary seem to be more prolonged than necessary and this, to a certain extent, hinders the movement of the plot. The plantation and the atmosphere come alive in his delicate prose. All the characters are well etched and have a life of their own and continue to live with us even once the novel is over. If this is Robert Jones Jr.’s debut novel, we have much to expect from him in the future.

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr tells the story of Samuel and Isaiah. They are slaves who work at the Elizabeth Plantation aka The Empty in the Deep South of Mississippi. Samuel and Isaiah spend their days in the barn tending to the animals. The Empty is an awful awful place with nothing but misery, yet both Samuel and Isaiah are find happiness in each other and are deeply in love, having this unbreakable bond. As the synopsis says "Isaiah was Samuel's and Samuel was his". They are the light that keep each other from being consumed by the darkness they have been engulfed in. Everything changes however when Amos a slave and someone who is attempting to bring Christianity into the the lives of other slaves discovers the forbidden relationship between Samuel and Isaiah. This sets off events that change the lives of Samuel, Isaiah, and everyone on the plantation forever.

I don't even know where to begin other than this was an extremely heartbreaking, uneasy, and powerful read that will long last the hands of times. If you're thinking this is a typical story of two lovers then you're most definitely mistaken. There are many moments where I had to take a break because of the horrific moments that occur. This book has left me feeling angry at how black people were treated.

The way in which the story is told is through the many characters on the plantation. From the POV of the slaves and the slavers as well. The stories told from the POV of the slaves was simply heartbreaking and just extremely heavy on an emotional level. Robert Jones Jr does not shy away from telling you the horrendous situations the slaves had to go through in order to simply survive another day on earth. Many harrowing acts occur from rape, forceful breeding of black people, and beatings. Each chapter essentially acts as a looking glass into the mind of the characters and their ordeals.

One of my favourite characters was the mother figure to Samuel and Isaiah, Maggie. Maggie works inside of the "Big House" doing unthinkable things for Paul who is the master of the house. Maggie was that person you know if you saw you'd just know a hug from her would make you forget your troubles. She cared so much for Samuel and Isaiah as if they were her own flesh and blood. Maggie could've had her own book due to how interesting and enlightening it was seeing from her perspective.

There are also many other interesting characters such as Puah, Essie, Aunt B, and Sarah who in various ways end up linking with the story of the two lovers, in positive ways, and negative ways to be exact.

When it comes to the slavers themselves, never have I wanted to scream in anger as much as I did when reading their passages. If you told me to define "scums of the earth" then I would tell you to read this book and look out for Paul, Ruth, James, Timothy, and many more. Paul for one was a disgusting and pitiful man who took out his anger at the slaves any chance he could get. At one point in the story he rapes Essie as be believes her baron for not being able to make a child with Isaiah. This is one of the main reasons why Amos attempts to get on the good side of Paul by wanting to learn about religion so that he can become Paul's protege and preach the Christian religion to those who are enslaves. So that he can protect Essie and himself. What Amos does however is cause a substantial rift and division within the community which inevitably leads to the worst outcome.

We also see a small glimpse into the life of carriage driver, Arnold. We find out in this chapter that Arnold is in fact the son of a slaver and they share similararies in terms of their looks.
"Unseemly, but maybe **** had finally seen it, too--the identical bridge of nose and the same muscular forehead that was unmistakably Halifax."

The Halifax family have their own chapters. We get a glimpse at Ruth Halifax, the wife of Paul Halifax. She was a lying, conniving, witch of a woman who enjoys seeing the enslaved people suffer. She is constantly trying to get people like Arnold (carriage driver) and others into trouble for stealing. It absolutely made my blood boil. To make matters even worse you have Timothy, a painter and abolitionist who at first you think will help the slaves, only to use Isaiah for sexual favours 🤦🏽‍♂️. I have no words like it was absolutely maddening and infuriating so I will move on before my head explodes.

Robert Jones Jr also takes us to the past in Africa as we are introduced to King Akusa and her tribe. They are visited by what I presume are white men who wish to steal the land of the tribe and their people. Religion also factors into this as during a matrimony between two men called Elewa and Dashi, one of the visitors called Gabriel question why and tells King Akusa that she and her tribe would benefit from their religion King Akusa obviously angry tells them that it is up to his people who they love and marry whether that's two men or two women.

Religion plays a key role in the story, from the naming of chapters, to the characters who used religion as a way of making their atrocities seem right.
"I do not know this word, Sodom. But I can tell by how it leaves your tongue that I do not like it. They are Elewa and Kosii as they have always been. Do you not see their bond? You will humble your self before that."

We also see from the point of view of Kosi a slave on a slave ship. Again this was heartbreaking and I was extremely distraught by this moment. The tribe had never expected such a thing to happen to them or anyone.

When considering the writing, although this is a heartbreaking novel, the writing is lyrical and beautiful. Every word touches you like a brush stroking a canvas. You feel every word circulating inside your mind and exploding like fireworks as things just click on point. I liked how each chapter is told from the POV from various characters yet the main characters of Isaiah and Samuel connect their lives. It's sort of like a web that showcases the impact Isaiah and Samuel has had on everyone. I thought even though it is the story of Isaiah and Samuel, seeing from the POV of the other characters added so much depth into the story and a better insight into their thoughts and feelings.

The writing also shows exactly how white people felt about black people. Some of the slurs and derogatory remarks where absolutely horrible. Constantly white folk in the story belittled black people and made them out to be soulless individuals. Robert Jones Jr shows how inhumane history has been towards black people and makes you understand why the pain of these ordeals are something the black community will never ever forget! The story is educational and will definitely make many understand the past.

Overall, The Prophets was a captivating, tragic, and extremely moving read that I'll never forget. The writing was rich and will instantly make you want to focus on the words in front of you. The characters also have so many unforgettable layers that you just want to keep peeling away to uncover further. You can tell Robert Jones Jr has put his heart and soul into this novel for sure. I will say though that it is not an easy read and definitely not for the faint-hearted. It will leave you feeling distraught and heartbroken for sure. The last 100 pages were had my heart beating like a drum once I closed the book I just sat back and sighed at the whole experience.

I have learned so much from this book as I did when I read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. Those two books are on my list of my favourite books of all time. I can happily say that The Prophets will long be in that list of books I recommend to everyone.

I was looking forward to reading this. It is an extraordinary debut novel from gay black American author Robert Jones which could very well become a contender for the twenty-first century Great American novel.
It is a historical work set in the Halifax family’s cotton plantation in Vicksburg, Mississippi and over the years the slave plantation is a location I have visited quite a few times in fiction but I don’t think that many have made so much of an impression upon me as this.

In a barn live and work two teenagers, Samuel and Isaiah, who have become lovers. Set apart from both the rest of the slaves and the members of the white household but observed by both they are true outsiders. The response to these boys searching for happiness in such a grim existence is commented on by other characters, often in sections that relate to Books of the Bible. They are also observed by a chorus of ancestral voices who powerfully and poetically comment on proceedings.

The boys, unbeknown to them, have been part of an economic experiment by the white master, Paul Halifax, who has put them in an environment of hard physical work away from the cotton-picking to make studs of them, to provide him with a strong stock of future slaves. The problem is, the boys are only interested in one another. Along comes another slave Amos, granted rights of preaching who uses his sermons to turn the slaves against the boys known to all as “The Two Of Them”. Others in the plantation cannot comprehend what Amos is against thinking that happiness should be taken wherever it is possible to find it. Samuel and Isaiah’s combustible situation is exacerbated by the sexually frustrated white mistress and her son returned from a “liberal” education up North.

The plot, in its bare bones here, seems a tad melodramatic, but oh my, how well Jones brings it alive, developing characters quickly and effectively and by having these two young men at the centre of a love story which feels bound to be ultimately tragic.

Amongst this Jones also superbly intersperses tales from previous generations- of the plantation’s ancestors, of plunder, of slave ships encompassing the black American history to this point into one superb novel.
When reading this it was a comment I had seen by Marlon James which kept coming to mind. He said of this book; “The Prophets shakes right down to the bone what the American novel should do, and can do. That shuffling sound you hear is Morrison, Baldwin and Angelou whooping and hollering both in pride and wonder.”
What a marvellous thing to say about another author’s book but it is so appropriate. And this is a debut novel! At the end Robert Jones Jnr acknowledges hundreds of people by name, those black writers, educators, public figures, musicians, performers, friends who have inspired him, an awe-inspiring roll-call which might have seemed over the top if Jones did not have the goods to deliver. With this enthralling, heart-breaking, poetic, challenging, very accessible yet difficult novel he certainly has. The only thing I am not totally on board with is the cover which has a self-published self-help vibe book about it but certainly do not judge this by that. It is possible that I may have already read my Book of The Year.

The Prophets was published by Quercus in the UK in hardback on 5th January 2021. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

From Good Reads:
An absolute powerhouse of a novel - we will be talking about this all year.
An unsettling, uncomfortable, anger inducing, beautiful, lyrical, heart warming story of love and horror.
I must admit to getting a bit lost at times and sometimes not sure what was happening - perhaps the prose and style got in the way of the storytelling - but the pluses far far far outweighed any negatives.

Atlas stood at the edge of the world in extreme West, condemned to hold up the celestial heavens for eternity, for his treason in leading the Titans in their battle with the Olympian Gods. Millennia later somewhere in the south of the Land of the Free, in The Magnolia State, thousands and thousands of people whose skins blessed by the midnight sky were punished to shoulder the weight of all the Nameless who came and went before them. Nameless, but never forgotten. But they were no Atlas. They hadn’t warred. Instead, it was the colourless who marched onto the Motherland, killed kings and kidnapped the first sons and daughters of the earth and stripped off their identities. They were wronged.

Some of them were enslaved on the Halifax plantation, including Samuel and Isaiah, two young gay lovers. As if Black and queer stories weren’t rare and precious enough on their own, RJJ gave shapes and voices to Black historical queer loves that existed among slaves, who were otherwise believed to be soulless because the white enslavers couldn’t fathom how love can glow from within the dark skins the way stars dotted the black skies. But the story didn’t belong to Samuel and Isaiah alone, but also to Amos who wanted to grow his pride as almighty as the whites’; to Sarah who was Samuel and Isaiah’s kind, once loved but now cannot love; to Beulah who learned her position beneath men and stayed there until she was called a different name; to Maggie whose motherly love fostered the sweat and blood of the enslaved which in turn nourished the cotton trees; to Ruth who saw herself as the unparalleled goddess but her touch wilted lives; to Timothy whose white saviour complex couldn’t save anyone, not even himself; and to many, many more. Nameless, but never forgotten, reaching across time.

No one was a supporting character in this book, for their pains and sufferings were too great to be measured and ranked. Fluent thoughts these characters possessed, maybe too shockingly eloquent they often came across as burdened and calculated. Perhaps it was because they were not merely themselves, which were already hard to be without knowing their true names and values. But they were also vessels for blood and tears pooled underground, and whispers and songs swayed amongst the clouds. I love how strong voices had been given to the women, even if those voices had to be swallowed into the deepest trough under their bellies. Because even when men lost the ownership to their bodies their logic assembled by captivity continued to engulf their sights. So the women had to bear the responsibility of remembering. Memories were important. They were one of the too few things that belonged to them, especially when their limbs and names were not.

Jones Jr.’s lyricism has been compared to Baldwin and Morrison’s. And it is a very fitting, well-deserved compliment. When I read Baldwin, I see. When I read Morrison, I hear. When I read Jones Jr., I breathe. His prose, like a strong magnetic force, brought me from the white buds of the cotton trees, down along their dry stems and wet bark into the mud, penetrating the whole length of the hot molten Earth’s core, before coming out from the other side of the soil catching air for the suffocated lungs. Yes, you will hold your breath and you will suffocate until you have earned the air granted to you by the brutality the slaves endured. I appreciate how RJJ brought the world to them as they were confined to the antebellum plantation in Mississippi, chained by the scars on their backs. RJJ allowed their tongues to stretch across the sweat-inducing wind, their skins to drench in the depth of the river, their eyes to see beyond the starless sky, and their noses to waft across the field of flowers. Small consolation to big misery, just enough to hold the dry scabs over the damp wounds so that no one bled completely to death.

Isaiah and Samuel’s love was so tender. I felt their unbreakable bond when Isaiah loved the colour purple without knowing the names for red and blue, because Samuel’s skin was the colour of a midnight sky without stars. I felt their torching glow when Samuel who had grown up knowing only pain and despair learned a new emotion that he couldn’t name but felt gnawing his heart. He was jealous. That Isaiah who was only ever his had now been shared by Timothy, the slave master’s kind son. Kind, but blind in his own way.

I talked about the importance of memory, especially those in times of trauma. THE PROPHETS has so successfully recalled Black voices to reach and speak across time. Woman kings, queer warriors, and gay sons were conjured from their realms to paint us the portrait of a festive Black gay wedding in an unnamed part of Africa that ended on slave ships, journeying to the Western world where Atlas was still holding God’s heaven. How can you not hear it – the collective scream of the Nameless echoing the sting on the back of the Halifax’s slaves? How can you not feel it – queer loves killed by the enslavers now piled on top of Isaiah and Samuel’s, louder and stronger as the pages go. Did I say that memory is important?

But memory is not enough.
Therefore, the last chapters called for action. They lured the black coals sunk at the bottom of the pit to the centre of their hearts, from the cavern of the throats to the tip of their tongues, before being spat out at the enslavers, inkling their white skins black matching their dark souls. I will not spoil the fiery ending because it demanded respect. When everything comes to an end, no one will remember their names. They have become larger, joining the wisdom in the air. What’s left when the final pages are flipped, is us seeing, hearing, and remembering history. But memory is not enough.

This book is beautiful, poetic, important and challenging, it’s a book that isn’t always easy to read, due to the subject, but I think when it comes to black history and slavery, we should be uncomfortable and look at things that are difficult, that are unsettling, especially when white, because that’s our history too and we must learn from it.

The writing was sometimes too big for me, if that makes sense, I would have to re-read paragraphs to try and digest them, the prose and religious elements so grand that I had to look again, but that could be more me than the book. I am glad I read The Prophets, I’m glad I knew these characters, that I felt their love for one another, and I still can’t stop thinking about it.

Erm, wow. This is my first 5-star review for 2021 and for good reason! This book is incredible. It left me speechless, it pulled on my heart strings though, in both a heartwarming and heartbreaking way too.</strong> This is a blinding debut novel that reads in a way I haven't read in a very long time. With a topic that is truthful, heavy and heart wrenching it can be hard to provide beauty in the cruelty that it portrayed in this novel, but Robert Jones Jr, not only succeeds but stuns. I think it could easily become a modern classic. ⁣

I don't even know where to start on this and still do the book even an ounce of the justice it deserves. This novel is profound and lyrical, fascinating but physically awful at the same time and is all wrapped up in a masterfully-written package. This novel is set on the Halifax Plantation, otherwise know as Empty, and is told from multiple point's of view (POV). I am a sucker for a multi-POV novel, and in this Robert Jones, Jr. explored the various perspective in ways I haven't read before, although it did make me think of Bernadine Evaristo's 'Girl, Woman, Other' in the way the perspectives were used to further the story of specific characters, even if they are not the narrator. The variety of narrative the multi-POV provides allows you to read from the perspective of everyone, from the best to the monstrously, worst of humanity which makes an enormous, if sometimes devastating impact on the reader. There is also a fascinating, intertwined narrative that looks at life pre-enslavement and also covers the torturous manner in which people were enslaved and treated: "To them, her people were all living pieces of ore: fuel for engines of the most ungodly kind but, bafflingly, in the name of a god that they claimed was peaceful."

This novel really emphasised some of the hideous atrocities of humanity and our history, whilst also exposing how disgusting the inherent need for power and differentiation is (particularly when abusing that power and creating a privilege that benefits your own from no particular reasoning or standing other than self-righteousness), and how convoluted the 'western' ways are. Although this novel depicts the raging inhumanity, horrors and terrors of being enslaved, which is vividly brought to life with the phenomenal word-wizardry of Robert Jones, Jr., the underlying plot driver which captivates you most is the hope, kindness and love that comes out of such heinous conditions and circumstances "And why would this be offensive? How could they hate the tiny bursts of light that shot through Isiah's body every time he saw Samuel!? Didn't everyone want somebody to glow like that?".

The character development was astounding and there were points at which I would audibly gasp at where the plot had taken some characters. I found myself really rooting for Samuel and Isiah, as well as the majority of the strong independent women, enslaved at Empty that seemed to have a magical, Coven like quality to them, especially Maggie, (which I LOVED) that drove the narrative. Equally, I found myself despising some of the characters, even the ones that weren't necessarily monstrous, but were just trying to do the best for themselves like Amos.

I truly am in love with this novel and will recommend it to everyone and anyone and will leave you with one parting quote to get reading "Where peace was possible, there would be centuries of bloodshed and pestilence, and the earth itself would be robbed of its natural belongings and, thus, continually reject the children it could no longer identify".

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC of The Prophets, in exchange for an honest review!

⚠️ Content Warnings: Racism, Violence, Abuse, Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Rape, Murder. ⚠️

A very worthy book that has occasional flashes of brilliance but could have been a bit shorter. The story opens on a cotton plantation where two young male slaves find love and peace with each other, gradually people begin to notice and the young men are met with various terrifying responses. The book came alive when the story went back to Africa to show when there was a female queen with many wives (with mixed pronouns) and two men got 'bonded'. All was good, sadly it doesn't last long as the 'skinless' (white) men from Portugal came with weapons to save them, with the word of God and took them to be sold into slavery in America. There are some interesting characters and the story moves into each person to help reflect their perspective. Some of the women slaves are very feisty indeed which I enjoyed reading about, it's a perspective that you don't often see. I was drawn into this book by the language and the fresh perspectives but found it a slow read. Quite amazing for a debut novel though it'll be interesting to read what he writes next.

With thanks to the publisher and net galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, that is a powerful debut! While the going-ons in the Elizabeth Plantation are as horrendous as can be imagined, there is so much beauty in Samuel and Isaiah's mutual love, in Maggie's love for Samuel, in Isaiah's compassion for Essie and Samuel's for Puah, that it is the beauty of this story that strikes the reader first and foremost. The lyricism of Robert Jones Jr.'s writing is breathtaking, and the touch of magic realism that contrasts powerfully with the hyperrealistic treatment of slavery makes this novel all the more beautiful. A wonderful read!

The Prophets is an epic novel and one for which I had to keep reminding myself it was a debut. It is notable that it has received glowing reviews from the literary press.

Samuel and Isaiah are the pivotal characters; slaves on a cotton plantation, they are a couple who bring a brightness to each other among the darkness of their situation. We learn their story, along with a cast of incredible characters, lending a new perspective on a shameful time.

The prose is lyrical but, to my taste, over-worked and sometimes hard going - I thought a further edit would have worked wonders.

A strong 3.5*

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus/Hachette for an ARC.

This year, I’m making a conscious effort to read books that educate me and take me to a time or place (or both) that is so far removed from my own experience. It’s really important that I absorb these stories and try to gain some sense of understanding as to how the horrors of the past are still rearing their ugly heads today.

Amongst the appaling living conditions at Empty, a cotton plantation in the Deep South, Samuel and Isaiah are each other’s everything. They look after the animals and each other and it’s that simple. Until Amos, a slave who seeks to become a preacher discovers their truth and the somewhat peaceful community of Empty is turned on its head.

As you might expect, this is by no means an easy read. In fact, it took me a very long time to finish it. Not because I wasn’t enjoying it but because my mind couldn’t take huge doses of this level of darkness and truly horrific content. I realise how much that exposes my own privilege but God, am I glad I read this story.

It’s written in such a lyrical, emotive style that suits the content perfectly. As you might expect from the title, there is a spiritual slant to the whole narrative and the writing itself conveys that in a subtle but lingering manner. There’s drama, there’s transcendental love, guilt, despair and even spots of hope and all of it is portrayed through beautiful literary imagery.

When Amos discovers the nature of Samuel and Isaiah’s connection, his inherent homophobia and genuine fear kicks in. He sees it as a catalyst for the collapse of harmony within Empty and seeks to take them down -despite being perfectly amiable towards both boys before finding out the truth. Anything that threatened to shake up the status quo was frightening back then and I guess in a place like Empty, preserving what was known and safe became the most important thing ever, lest things get even worse. However, while I understand his motives, I don’t have very much sympathy for Amos as he appeared quite willing to bring his fellow slaves down in the name of bettering himself in the eyes of his masters.

The women of Empty were arguably the heroes of the story. Maggie, Essie, Sarah, Puah and Be Auntie have a kind of coven-esque dynamic and I felt safe with them. Of course, as Black women they all endure horrific treatment at the hands of their masters and some of their stories were truly heartbreaking. However, they are all wonderfully smart and observant. All of them had so much more strength and power than the male characters and they seemed to be a huge source of hope in Empty. Thank you to Robert Jones, Jr for providing his readers with the bright light of these fantastic, inspirational women in such a bleak landscape.

There were also a few glimpses into another storyline set in what seemed to be an alternate world where gender and sexuality norms are flipped and there is little importance placed on them. I thought of these chapters as a window into the world that Samuel and Isaiah should be allowed to live in and knowing that it existed gave me a little bit of hope that they would eventually reach it. As this story progressed, it became apparent that this world also suffered horrors such as invasion and enslavement and the message seemed to be that wherever there is light, there will always also be darkness.

The Prophets is a hard, harrowing read but it’s important for today’s society. Sometimes we need a cold, harsh, eye-opening reminder of the level of suffering that human beings have been through, so that we can do everything possible to ensure that it never happens again. The ending is full of tension, drama and devastating heartbreak but there is also a stillness and a triumph of sorts. Beautifully written with a tragic story at its heart, I have a strong feeling that The Prophets will be a huge success story of 2021.