Long After We Are Gone: A Novel

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Four siblings-each fighting their own personal battle-return home in the wake of their father's death in order to save their family's home and ancestral land from being sold out from under them, in an explosive and highly emotional story about the power of family and letting go of things that no longer serve you An explosive and emotional story of four siblings-each fighting their own personal battle-who return home in the wake of their father's death in order to save their family's home from being sold out from under them, from the author of One Summer in Savannah. "Don't let the white man take the house." These are the last words King Solomon says to his son before he dies. Now all four Solomon siblings must return to North Carolina to save the Kingdom, their ancestral home and 200 acres of land, from a development company, who has their sights set on turning the valuable waterfront property into a luxury resort. While fighting to save the Kingdom, the siblings must also save themselves from the secrets they've been holding onto. Junior, the oldest son and married to his wife for eleven years, is secretly in love with another man. Second son Mance can't control his temper, which has landed him in prison more than once. CeCe, the oldest daughter and a lawyer in New York City, has embezzled thousands of dollars from her firm's clients. Youngest daughter Tokey wonders why she doesn't seem to fit into this family, which has left an aching hole in her heart that she tries to fill in harmful ways. As the Solomons come together to fight for the Kingdom, each of their fa ades begins to crumble and collide in unexpected ways. Told in alternating viewpoints, Long After We Are Gone is a searing portrait on the power of family and letting go of things that no longer serve you, exploring the burden of familial expectations, the detriment of miscommunication, and the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children.

Reviews

"Terah Shelton Harris's Long After We Are Gone is a master class on writing clean, elegant, accessible prose. The individual struggles of the Solomon family are so beautifully told, that getting to know them is both visceral and uncomfortable, as though we are sitting across the table from a friend with a dark confession. Harris's ability to create characters so real and flawed that they serve as mirrors to ourselves and our world, is astounding. You know this family as you know yourself, and you want them to succeed so that in their victory they may become better people. A hope that, with another chance, we all can. The four separate but interconnected stories of these siblings weave together a beautiful, strong, satisfying quilt that Harris so deftly wraps the reader in. And we thank her for it." -- Jason Powell, author of No Man's Ghost
"Deeply moving, highly evocative, and heartbreakingly real, Long After We Are Gone is a moving testament to the strength it takes to leave the past behind and dictate your own future. This epic family drama explores love at its best, desperation at its worst, and the twisted ties that bind us to our own histories. An utterly gripping tale of familial strength and honor, this story will keep you guessing with every turn of the page. Readers will not soon forget the Solomon family." -- Brooke Beyfuss, author of After We Were Stolen and Before You Found Me
"Few novelists write such flawed characters with this measure of empathy and grace. The Solomon siblings are a mess, but they're striving for better as best they know how. Believe me when I say you will love them for it. Long After We Are Gone is a gorgeous and deeply humane novel about family and second chances." -- C. Matthew Smith, author of Twentymile
"In this timely novel that is as alluring and sensual as it is unflinching and brave, Terah Shelton Harris delves with compassion and insight into the profound complexities of the four Solomon siblings as they confront their shared familial history--a narrative that is both deeply intimate and inextricably shaped by the South's own painful history of racial injustice. Harris, a mesmerizing new voice in literary fiction, weaves an emotionally resonant saga of love and legacy that both enriches and transcends the boundaries of Southern narrative tradition. Your heart will stay close to Junior, CeCe, Mance, and Tokey long after the last page is turned." -- Adele Griffin, National Book Award finalist and author of The Favor
"Once again, Terah Shelton Harris proves she is a powerhouse of Southern literature whose unmistakably poignant prose, profound themes and vibrant characters are built to stand the test of time. Long After We Are Gone is a beautifully woven story of familial bonds, generational trauma and the nature of love. Richly evocative, this book will move your soul." -- Quinn Connor, author of Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves
"Powerful and absorbing, Long After We Are Gone explores the effects of generational trauma and the struggle for identity in the midst of expectations. With meticulous pacing, Terah Shelton Harris expertly maneuvers multiple perspectives, immersing the reader in the flawed, yet nuanced lives of the four Solomon siblings. A masterful sophomore novel, Harris has created another engrossing story that will leave readers talking." -- Meagan Church, author of The Last Carolina Girl and The Girls We Sent Away
"Terah Shelton Harris has written a viscerally human novel about what we lose and what we keep when tragedy forces us to confront the sins of the past. Long After We Are Gone dismantles the romanticized idea of southern homecomings and lays all its secrets bare through the eyes of four meticulously drawn characters wrestling with demons that threaten their quest to save their ancestral land. Gripping and haunting, this book is a stunning achievement from one of the bravest voices in contemporary Southern fiction today." -- Regina Black, author of The Art of Scandal
"Through the story of the four indelible Solomon siblings, Terah Shelton Harris sheds light on the little-known concept of heir property with characters who ring achingly true in their weaknesses, hopes and love for each other. Long After We Are Gone is a tour de force of history, injustice, and the brutal, beautiful everlasting ties of family." -- Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The House Girl and The Last Romantics
"A big, beautiful, devastating, and ultimately hopeful novel about family dysfunction and the true cost of heir property. Terah Shelton Harris brings the four Solomon siblings to vibrant life as they struggle to save their family's ancestral land while battling their own demons." -- Erica Bauermeister, New York Times bestselling author of No Two Persons
"In Long After We Are Gone, Terah Shelton Harris weaves a powerful narrative that begins with the haunting plea, 'Don't let the white man take the house.' These words set in motion a gripping story as the Solomon siblings unite to protect their ancestral home, the Kingdom, and its 200 acres of land, coveted by a relentless development company. Told through alternating viewpoints, this explosive and emotionally charged novel delves into the power of family bonds and the art of letting go. It unearths the weight of familial expectations, the consequences of miscommunication, and the enduring lessons and legacies we pass on to the next generation. A gripping exploration of the complexities that define us and the resilience that connects us all." -- Etaf Rum, New York Times bestselling author of A Woman is No Man and Evil Eye

Author Bio

TERAH SHELTON HARRIS is a collection development librarian based in Alabama and a freelance writer. She has been published in Women's Health, Natural Solutions, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Backpacker, Draft, and Women's Adventure.