David Smith Jr., known as Smith, is the protagonist of Rob Franklin’s debut novel 'Great Black Hope.' The story delves into his privileged yet turbulent life in high society, marked by the death of his roommate from tainted drugs. This tragedy triggers Smith's spiraling journey as he grapples with unresolved emotions and societal expectations. Franklin reflects on his own life experiences when writing the book, particularly the contrast between his goals and his family's expectations. The novel highlights themes of race, privilege, and the impact of grief on identity.
He's a character who's kind of running from his feelings a bit. Like, I don't think he wants to kind of look directly at his feelings of rage, of sadness, of hurt, of guilt. He's not somebody who's, like, totally in touch with those, in part because of the kind of, like, image he's always been expected to project.
I started writing this novel the day before my 26th birthday in Atlanta, back in my childhood bedroom, just kind of thinking a lot about family expectations and kind of how different my life looked from the life I think my parents envisioned for me.
It's a study of a young Black, queer, privileged man who's floated through the high society scene of his richer white friends until his roommate is found dead, presumably from tainted drugs.
Picture him stumbling. Six feet and 3 inches, He towered like a tree, bark brown and quietly handsome. Picture him crouched in a corner as he snorts from a key, the metallic taste of his tongue.
Collection
[
|
...
]