The Prophets (Broché)

A singular and stunning debut novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence. Isaiah was Samuel's and Samuel was Isaiah's. That was the way it was since the beginning, and the way it was to be until the end. In the barn they tended to the animals, but also to each other, transforming the hollowed-out shed into a place of human refuge.
But when an older man - a fellow slave - seeks to gain favour by preaching the master's gospel on the plantation, the slaves begin to turn on their own. Tensions build and the weight of centuries - of ancestors and generations to come - culminates in a climactic reckoning. The Prophets masterfully reveals the pain and suffering of inheritance, but is also shot through with hope, beauty and truth, portraying the enormous, heroic power of love.