Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Prophets

This historical fiction was centred around Isaiah & Samuel, our two main characters, whom dared to find freedom in their love for each other in the face of a cruel reality. Told from the perspectives of multiple characters, the story was brutally honest & graphic, but only in a way that highlighted the importance of the truth, be it made you the voice of good or evil, or both.

Interspersed in between were ancestral voices, providing a touch of the supernatural & spiritual; once again, acting as a sort of purveyor of the truth for a group of people who saw their humanity, identity & history erased. These "ancestral voices" returning what was stolen in increment, providing a "break" between the distinct character-specific narration.

Jones gave dimensions to each perspective by enabling readers to compare how their perspectives were influenced by their social standings & their inherent needs. Jones did so by contrasting characters based on their similarity & putting said similarity through the lens of their differences; intersectional identities being the main modulator. Through them, readers were able to explore & infer what motivated each character, see how the 'self' interacted with the external world to drive certain behaviour. This built a complex structure which may require some time for readers to process & digest. At the end though, your time should be worth it. Take it as an in-depth look into each character as the story progressed.

The writings were unbelievably beautiful with its lyricism; the symbolisms used should be perceived as significant, representing the voices of those typically forced not to have any. That beauty can cushioned the brutal reality the characters faced at times, yet also stressed it on others; I thought Jones balanced it out neatly. One constant was how the story felt that it encapsulated something tremendous, beyond what was held amongst its pages.

Please heed to the trigger warnings. I personally found some scenes to be really heavy, so do take care while reading this. That being said, "The Prophets" was a powerful read about re-owning one's being, identity, & history. It spoke about how love could be a balm in a cruel reality. It was unforgiving in its resonance, & deserved to be heard.

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jennikreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.75

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amressing's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

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davidrb's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

An absolute triumph of writing, characterization, and execution. The first review I'm writing here, and for good reason. I think this is going to be my favorite of 2021.

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mich_26'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? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

What a literacy masterpiece and a debut novel too. I had to read this in small doses because there was just so much to be savored. The writing was absolutely beautiful. I’m still a little confused about the ending but I think this is a novel that needs to be read more than once.

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marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This unforgettable book is sure to be a mainstay in African American literature for a long time to come. With chapters that reflect the books of the Bible, and characters that reflect the characters therein, The Prophets is a liberating epic sprinkled with interruptions by a Greek chorus of African ancestral women and flashbacks to the ancestors' demise. This is no Twelve Years a Slave—The Prophets contains many moments of exquisite joy, albeit brief ones. Its story centers not on a man but on two teenage boys joined in the most pure love you can imagine. Their love outshines everything else, and they are protected—ultimately—by their ancestors, and by the mystical women who raised them. Please, read this book.

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bookishinteriors's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Woo, this book is a doozy. It's been hard to compile my thoughts and verbalize how I feel.
This book is deep. It is sweeping. It is real. Even though it is only 400 pages it feels larger than anything I've read in a long time.

Jones' writing can only be described as poetic. I read that Toni Morrison was a large influence on him and that feels quite clear. While the prose is undoubtedly beautiful, there were times that style overtook content, so much so that even after reading certain sentences and paragraphs multiple times I still felt like I was left missing something. The prophet chapters especially felt this way because it felt like there was so little to hold onto.

I read the first third or so in a single sitting which I think helped me really get into the rhythm of the story and the writing. I felt invested in the story almost immediately and I was drawn in slowly but surely by each of the characters. The middle section of the book was a different experience. Because I was reading in smaller chunks it was harder to stay in the story and feel gripped by each new person introduced. While reliving the same moments through different eyes brought something new, it also drastically slowed the pace. I don't mind a large cast so I think either reducing the overlap or omitting a character or two would have helped a bit. By the last hundred pages or so though things finally started to pick up and click into place. The story was tied together and it was both riveting and gutting.

I'm not one that typically needs content or trigger warnings, but the abuse described in the last 50 pages was so visceral I was sick to my stomach. That paired with the knowledge that I'm sure it only scratches the surface of what life was really like in that time period made it truly hard to get through. I don't think this should deter anyone from reading it but it's definitely something to prepare for.

I initially got this from the library I could see myself buying it for a reread later. I suspect that each time you read it you can pull more from the pages and gain a different perspective/experience. Overall this book feels like an English teacher's dream and an important read for anyone.

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