I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Great Black Hope: A Novel by Rob Franklin Published by S&S/Summit Books on June 10, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Literary
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
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Goodreads
“Incandescent…full of sentences I want to cut out and glue to my forehead.” —Kaveh Akbar, New York Times bestselling author of Martyr!
“A novel of crime—with a gripping pace, propelled by a question that needs answering—and a timeless coming-of-age story.” —Rumaan Alam, bestselling author of Entitlement
“A masterpiece…At once fresh and original while delighting the reader with hints of Franzen, McInerny, Baldwin. This novel—a whodunit, a coming-of-age, a New York novel—heralds the arrival of a rarefied talent.” —Elin Hilderbrand, bestselling author of Swan Song
A gripping, elegant debut novel about a young Black man caught between worlds of race and class, glamour and tragedy, a friend’s mysterious death and his own arrest, from an electrifying new voice.
An arrest for cocaine possession on the last day of a sweltering New York summer leaves Smith, a queer Black Stanford graduate, in a state of turmoil. Pulled into the court system and mandated treatment, he finds himself in an absurd but dangerous situation: his class protects him, but his race does not.
It’s just weeks after the death of his beloved roommate Elle, the daughter of a famous soul singer, and he’s still reeling from the tabloid spectacle—as well as lingering questions around how well he really knew his closest friend. He flees to his hometown of Atlanta, only to buckle under the weight of expectations from his family of doctors and lawyers and their history in America. But when Smith returns to New York, it’s not long before he begins to lose himself to his old life—drawn back into the city’s underworld, where his search for answers may end up costing him his freedom and his future.
Smith goes on a dizzying journey through the nightlife circuit, anonymous recovery rooms, Atlanta’s Black society set, police investigations and courtroom dramas, and a circle of friends coming of age in a new era. Great Black Hope is a propulsive, glittering story about what it means to exist between worlds, to be upwardly mobile yet spiraling downward, and how to find a way back to hope.
Review
Rob Franklin’s debut hits you like a shot of espresso. His protagonist Smith – Black, queer, Stanford grad – seems to have it all figured out in his glossy New York life. Then comes a cocaine arrest in the Hamptons, and everything shatters.
The story grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Smith’s wrestling with his best friend’s death would be enough drama, but Franklin layers in something deeper: what happens when your carefully constructed identity starts to crack? When your fancy degree and Upper East Side apartment can’t shield you from the reality of being Black in America?
Franklin writes like someone who’s been doing this for decades. His sentences dance. They make you laugh, then punch you in the gut. Poet Kaveh Akbar wasn’t exaggerating when he said this book has “sentences I want to cut out and glue to my forehead.”
But here’s what makes this novel special: it never feels like homework. Yes, it tackles heavy themes – privilege, class, the masks we wear to fit in. But Franklin wraps these ideas in a story so compelling you’ll forget you’re reading “important literature.” The plot moves like a thriller, even as it asks uncomfortable questions about who gets to succeed in America – and at what cost.
Sure, some readers might wish for more plot and less introspection. But that’s missing the point. This isn’t a beach read (though ironically, part of it takes place on one). It’s a mirror held up to our society, showing us truths we might not want to see.
Great Black Hope isn’t just good – it’s necessary. It’s the kind of debut that makes you excited about the future of American literature. Franklin has arrived, and he’s not playing it safe.
4.5/5 stars – A stunning debut that will have everyone talking.
