Long After We Are Gone

The Solomon siblings are not perfect. Far from it. CeCe, the oldest daughter and an NYC lawyer, has embezzled thousands of dollars from her firm's clients. Junior, the oldest, married to his wife for 11 years, is secretly living in the closet as a gay man. Mance, the second son, can't control his temper. And Angeline (Tokey), the youngest, wonders why she doesn't seem able to fit into this family. But when their father dies, all four siblings must return home to save their ancestral land—and themselves.

Written in alternating points of view from all four siblings, LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE is a moving and emotional story about the power of family and letting go of things that no longer serve you. It explores intergenerational trauma and the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and is centered around the legal process called heir property, a form of ownership in which heirs inherit interest (like stocks). The practice began during the Reconstruction when many Black people did not have access to the legal system and continued throughout the Jim Crow era. The Department of Agriculture says it is the worst problem you've never heard of and recognizes it as the leading cause of Black involuntary land loss. Without a clear title, it only takes one family member with interest in the land to spark a sale. This is what happens to the siblings in LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE.

Content warning: sexual violence, racism, trauma