The novel is not short of the inhumane treatment and brutality of slave owners as expected from a narrative on slavery. He alternately names the chapter with books of the Bible and the characters’ names to express the correlation between spirituality and self. Jones weaves in tales of pre-colonial Africa and Biblical references addressing notions on race, spirituality, and homophobia. Essentially, the novel is about the power of love amid adversities and treacheries that threaten the forbidden love of the two men. The betrayal takes place once Amos approaches Paul in pursuit of bringing Biblical teachings on the plantation for his selfish ends. The two defy their intended purpose of breeding with their female counterparts by choosing to love each other. The story follows the gay couple through the changeover that occurs in the plantation regarding their relationship. With this in mind, the love between the two young men-Samuel and Isaiah-is embraced by fellow slaves until insecurities of others and religion come into play. The narrative focuses on Black queerness in a time social constructs had yet to be created around sexuality. In his debut novel, Robert Jones manages to conjure a beautiful love story from the worst of times for black people in American history.
The Prophetsis a work of historical fiction set in the Deep South on a plantation named Empty-which lives up to its name to the enslaved men and women.
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