A review by deedireads
The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

challenging emotional sad medium-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

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

The Prophets is gorgeous, emotional, ambitious, incredible debut. One to be read slowly and savored. It deserves all the attention it’s gotten.

For you if: You like emotional literary fiction with poetic prose.

FULL REVIEW:

“Samuel had told Isaiah earlier in the morning to let himself lie, let himself rest, remember the moments. It would be considered theft here, he knew, but to him, it was impossible to steal what was already yours — or should have been.”


As soon as you start reading The Prophets, you know that you’re in for something reverent. The references to Toni Morrison and James Baldwin hold up. Equally hopeful and devastating, rich with meaning and tradition, and written with prose that leaps off the page and sings, this is one I could easily see being nominated for the Booker Prize.

The Prophets takes place on a Southern plantation, passing narration among a sweeping set of characters and centering on two enslaved men, Samuel and Isaiah. They fit together, are just plain right together. But eventually, the knowledge of who they are to one another begins to make its way to the family who owns the plantation. Infused into the story are the voices of ancestors, the story of a people torn apart by the slave trade, and so much more.

The longer I let this story sit, the more impressed I become by its scope and ambition. I barely even feel fit to review it. There were a few moments where I felt lost or had trouble with the pacing, but it’s important to keep in mind that this book — and especially the parts I stumbled on — was not written for me. Overall, The Prophets is a masterpiece, and critics know it.
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