WE WERE NOT KINGS

An adult upmarket novel that combines the lyricism of Imbolo Mbue with the thematic explorations of HOMEGOING.

Salomon Destin hates his father, the abusive and alcoholic man who cheated on his mother and spurns his younger brother, Junior. When their father sires another son with his mistress, he is finally kicked out of the house. But upon his return, Junior, done with taking his father's abuse, shoots and kills him. Thus starts the downward spiral of the Destin clan. Sent to a university in France, Salomon meets his future wife, but begins to repeat old patterns from his father, as he entertains a possible affair. And as his younger half-brother makes dire mistakes in his effort to find his place in the world, Salomon attempts to be a father figure, ultimately failing. Upon the death of the family matriarch, Salomon is forced to return home to Guadeloupe and confront the traumatic past that left his once strong family fledgling. A beautifully written and sharply observed intergenerational depiction of a struggling family on a heavily colonized island, WE WERE NOT KINGS explores religious isolationism, mistakes of humanity, and the effects of colonialism. Robert de la Chevotiere is an Afro-Caribbean immigrant to Canada, who teaches French and English language arts. He is a member of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, and has recently had a poem published in ARC's Poetry Magazine's 2021 fall issue. His debut speculative novel, TALL IS HER BODY, will release with Erewhon in 2025.