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A review by wordsofclover
The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death