This is a book that begins built on two ideas I thought were really gripping:
1) The polyphonic choral concept, which is overall the strongest thing about the book, and
2) The concept of the growth of an idea in a community, in this case homophobia among the enslaved.

The choral narration, as stated above, is the strongest thing about the novel as it runs throughout its entirety and often provided relief when I wanted to abandon the story. The chorus serves as a kind of chaotic good to our main focus, Samuel and Isaiah, and to tie in ancestral practices that remind us of that second concept the novel is ruminating on.

This second concept, the growth of homophobia in the enslaved community at the heart of the novel, is also incredibly interesting. Watching how and why a community might adopt an idea they heretofore had no concept of or interest in was an interesting piece of, likely historically accurate, social experimentation. And watching it played against the ideas on gender and sexuality brought over from tribal communities made it all the more impactful.

My biggest struggle in the book was when the story began to devolve from this second concept as we begin to have chapters from the perspective of the white characters in the story. The idea still lives in the novel as the driving force, but we are introduced to the narrative interests of the white enslavers, which becomes the central focus of most of the novel's back third. While I understand why the choice was made in the interest of servicing Jones's plot, it was far less interesting than the work he had been doing so far.

While significantly smaller, I also had a couple of other issues with my reading of the story. The first is that I wanted Isaiah and Samuel to be the focus of the novel, as I had been led to believe. Even though I knew going in that the vast majority of the story was not told from their point of view, I thought more of the story would be about them, yet the story was really more about the way they are used as pawns to play out the interests of other characters. I am also curious about the cultural conversations of the characters. I would have to read more firsthand writing from the period, but it sometimes seemed like the cultural ideas were more reflective of our modern revisiting of the period rather than period appropriate.

Despite my qualms, this book does have incredibly important things to say that I think make it a great pick for a book club discussion, which is the context for which I read it. There are lots of ideas and perspectives that feel new, either in their discussion or in their approach. Furthermore, until we begin to get some of those later white-perspective chapters, I think this is one of the gentler books on slavery as Jones seeks to both love his Black characters and show the love between them. Finally, the last three chapters go a long way toward making the ending of the novel a powerful piece that will stick with you.

Quotes:
"Our responsibility is to tell you the truth. But since you were never told the truth, you will believe it is a lie. Lies are more affectionate than truth and embrace you with both arms. Prying you loose is our punishment." (Page 2)
"That was good, though, because some things should never be mentioned, didn't have to be, not even among friends. There were many ways to hide and save one's self from doom, and keeping tender secrets was one of them." (Page 40)
"This wasn't a framework for liberty; this was the same tyranny of Europe, only naked and devoid of baubles." (Page 126)
"'Some people pain is eternal. Some people worship they pain. Don't know who they are without it. Hold on to it like they gon' die if they let it go.'" (Page 167)
"The North, meanwhile, still couldn't answer the questions of who would do the work freed slaves would necessarily leave behind and how those unfortunate souls would be paid once the position of slave was abolished. These men were bad at business, though there was every indication they were just as greed." (Page 202)

This is such a beautiful book that is both masterfully crafted and profound. The symbolism and emotion are both deftly layered (my reading experience was enhanced by doing a quick brush up on Biblical characters since the book is structured as books of the Bible). Every description I've read of this book focuses on the queer love story - as they should - but in some ways, this book is as much about gender roles and expression as it is about queerness (and maybe that's the definition of queerness itself). It's also a book about oppression, colonialism and entrenched systems. I'm still processing it several days after finishing it and think that I will likely still be thinking about it months from now.

 This book was a 2021 NBA finalist in fiction, but I don't know how it didn't win. 

"Harder, however, and even more frightening was the truth: there was no such thing as monsters. Every travesty that had ever been committed had been committed by plain people and every person had it in them"

“Knowledge was a strength even when it hurt.”

“Our responsibility is to tell you the truth. But since you were never told the truth, you will believe it a lie. Lies are more affectionate than truth and embrace with both arms.”

"People liked pride. Mistook it for purpose.” 

I totally get why people so frequently compare Jones to Toni Morrison. I could definitely sense the similarities in their prose. However, unlike Morrison, I found myself getting a little lost in the prose of this book. I'd alternate between struggling to follow the plot and being incredibly invested. I'm not sure if that's just one of the things that happen with debuts or if it is just that I don't love literary fiction. Despite those moments of confusion, I really enjoyed this novel. Samuel and Isaiah's relationship just lept off the page and being able to see the perspectives of most of the people on the plantation, enslaved and enslaver, alike was compelling. I found Maggie and Adam's perspectives incredible and would have read a book just about them. There are a lot deeper themes that I think I could articulate better when and if I reread this. This book definitely strikes me as one of those books that needs a reread or two to really appreciate all of the things it's trying to say. It will definitely not be forgettable, that's for sure. I would also add lots of content and trigger warnings for sensitive content. Obviously, this is a book about slavery so rape, sexual assualt, physical violence, racism and racial slurs are all prevalent throughout the book. If you are sensitive to any content, please look up the content warnings for this book so you can take care of yourself.

I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just so beautiful and painful all at the same time.

The Prophets tells the story of Samuel and Isaiah, two young men who have grown up as slaves on a plantation, and through a life of hardship, pain and being treated in the worst ways possible, they found each other and fell in love. Two pieces of one whole. The rest of the plantation don't take much notice of Samuel and Isaiah, leaving them to find peace in a world of pain together, until another slave called Amos begins to preach the Bible and turn the others against them. At the same time, the plantation owner's son, Timothy, comes home and takes an interest in Isaiah that could prove deadly.

I just loved this book so much. The writing and the characters are absolutely exquisite and the way Robert Jones Jr flipped between the story on the plantation to the voice of 'The Prophets' and then also a story from a tribe in Africa where a female King reins with her male wives, and is suspicious of the new skinless wanderers that have appeared . There is so much in this book that is very hard to read - how everyone on the plantation is treated, and the pain and suffering and trauma every character holds inside of themselves is A LOT but it's also full of beautiful moments from friendship, to love and it comes down to the very special bond between Samuel and Isaiah and that how is more than just two people in love but two souls that are one and that should never be parted.


"This was how he would engage in his own bit of rebellion: he leaned against the wooden bit of the fence that surrounded the barn and stared at the heavens. Crowded, he thought, and wondered if, perhaps , the abundance was too much ; if the weight of holding on was too heavy, and the night , being as tired as it was, might one day let go, and all the stars would come tumbling down, leaving only the darkness to stretch across everything."

I also recommend reading Robert Jones Jr acknowledgements at the end of the book as it is definitely one of my favourites I've ever read.