Great Black Hope

In Franklin’s radiant debut, a queer Black man reckons with his class privilege and drug use in the aftermath of his best friend’s mysterious death. David Smith, a 25-year-old tech worker and aspiring writer, is partying with old friends in the Hamptons when he’s arrested for cocaine possession. After returning to his Brooklyn apartment, Smith is jolted by memories of his best friend and roommate’s tragic death three weeks earlier. Elle England, the daughter of a famous soul singer, was found dead on the banks of the Bronx River, rumored to have taken fentanyl-laced cocaine. After Smith reluctantly tells his well-to-do Atlanta parents about his arrest, they hire a white Southampton lawyer, correctly presuming that the man’s “local color” will work in Smith’s favor. The plot is tightly woven and satisfying, culminating in Smith’s visit to Atlanta, where he’s hounded by a journalist looking for a scoop on Elle’s death. What makes the novel really shine, however, is Franklin’s deeply perceptive view into Smith’s self-appraisal, which develops as he undergoes court-ordered drug treatment and joins a group of Black artists in homeless advocacy work, prompting him to reflect on the cost of going along with what his parents and friends want for him. Along the way, the author keenly portrays Smith’s grief over Elle and how they fell into their hard-partying life. Readers will be rapt. Agents: Audrey Crooks and Ellen Levine, Trident Media Group. (June)