Hezekiah’s Independence

Eloquent. Insightful. To tend. Daring. Fresh. These are some of the words being used to describe Keith Russels’s new novel. In this engaging tale of four generations of men-a slave who stole himself, a farmer, a poet, and a teacher-Russell holds the mirror steady, insisting that we look, so we can remember our faces. A son returns home to be with his aging and jaded father, and confronts far more than he anticipates. The novel becomes a meditation on life and death, on meaning; and, finally, on what is of ultimate concern. This heartwarming story of men finding each other amidst the crushing circumstances of their lives expands the genre of the novel. A champion of the minimalist scholl, he continues to be an outstanding novelist, and a compelling story teller.