Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Prophets

There are no words to express how incredibly written this book is. There also isn’t a book quite like The Prophets either, making it a unique piece of literature.

The Prophets will leave you feeling so much grief and heartache, considering that it’s set on a slave plantation (and Jones certainly sheds light on the atrocities in such places). However, this book isn’t trauma porn by any means. There are traumatic moments, yes, but there are these “tiny resistances” (to quote Jones) exhibited through Black joy, Black tenderness, and so much Black love, particularly centering queer love. Jones does an incredible job exploring these beautiful moments while still addressing the pain and trauma of enslaved Black people and their lasting effects. I specifically think of the following quote:

They pushed people into the mud and then called them filthy. They forbade people from accessing any knowledge of the world and then called them simple. They worked people until their empty hands were twisted, bleeding, and could do no more, then called them lazy. They forced people to eat innards from troughs and then called them uncivilized. They kidnapped babies and shattered families and then called them incapable of love. They raped and lynched and cut up people into parts, and then called the pieces savages. They stepped on people’s throats with all their might and asked why the people couldn’t breathe. And then, when people made an attempt to break the foot, or cut it off one, they screamed, “CHAOS!” and claimed that mass murder was the only way to restore order.

(Bolded is my emphasis.)

You can tell a lot of care went into every page of this book. The story is so rich with incredible character development, all of which will pull you in and have you swimming in emotions.

Content Warnings

_listeninc0untz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

pastelwriter's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow! How does one even talk about a book like this? It feels like too much for my little brain to put into words without the support of a uni lit course discussion. This is to say... This novel is incredible and rich with so much that could be discussed.

First and foremost, I absolutely loved the writing of this novel. It was beautiful and poetic. I have seen people complain that it is too dense, but I think it is perfect. Do I think I understood everything that was said in the novel? No. But I also think this is the type of novel that is meant to be reread in order to get more out of it.

In addition, my reading experience with this book was incredible because of how it centered the story of two queer Black men. A lot of the narrative is spent on the characters around the protagonists sensing the beauty Samuel and Isaiah brought into the world by being themselves and loving each other. Even those who worked toward tearing them apart where unable to dismiss the light that they brought to the world. The other characters couldn't always understand Samuel and Isaiah, but they could not deny the beauty they brought to the world.

Furthermore, another of the wonderful things about this novel is that it does not focus on any one perspective. Slavery and the experiences of the enslaved are presented from a myriad of perspectives. The characters are never reduced to cartoonish depictions of good vs evil. Every single character with a point of view had nuance to them and were presented as having both good and bad in them. It was fantastic because even the truly terrible people you could see where they were coming from. The narrative text didn't depict their actions as any less horrible, but it made the characters feel more human.

If I have one complaint about this novel, it is that towards the end of it the author purposefully misleads you so you don't fully know what has happened after a certain plot point. The perspectives keep changing before you as the reader truly know the fallout of a character's particular actions. In this case, the plot point involves Samuel, Timothy, and Paul.

Other than that minor issue I had with the pacing/plotting of the novel, I thought this book was spectacular. I want to reread it eventually (when I am not as emotionally devastated. because trust me this book crushed me) in order to get even more from my reading experience.

Content Warnings

aroguemonster's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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regnistegra's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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katsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

"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.

Content Warnings

cabuff's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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