The Hearts of Men
A Novel
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- 7,49 €
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- 7,49 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
Tall, dark, and handsome, Prodigy Banks was once a playboy. Now he’s a man any mother would be proud to call her son, and when he meets Nina, the mother of the young boy he mentors, it seems that life is going to get even better. But when his past threatens his newfound respectability, Prodigy has to act fast to protect his new relationship.
Bernard Charles is haunted by childhood memories of abandonment and poverty. His workaholic ways frustrate his wife, Diane, and leave her vulnerable to another man’s advances. After her betrayal, will Bernard move on or move out?
Winston “Poppa Doc” Fuller has a fix for what’s ailing the younger generation. Married for more than forty years to his beloved Ethel, Winston brings healing to everyone he touches. Yet despite his best efforts, he hasn’t been able to reach his own thirty-three-year-old son—a situation that soon requires urgent resolution, because as Poppa Doc tells his son: “I love you, but I’m not proud of you. Make me proud of you before I leave this earth.”
In his marvelous debut novel, Travis Hunter has crafted a tale that is funny, sexy, and touching—revealing what it truly means to have the heart of a man.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What his prose lacks in sophistication, Hunter makes up for in earnestness in this debut novel about the suburban African-American experience. Prodigy Banks works at a large Atlanta finance company, often paying more attention to his female co-workers than to his job. Despite his lady-killer habits, the handsome Prodigy is a picture of respectability, going to church, taking good care of his house and serving as a role model for his cousin Jermaine, who hasn't left the streets behind as quickly as Prodigy. Under the influence of his father figure Poppa Doc, Prodigy volunteers at a youth center, where he meets the adorable Blake and Blake's even more charming mother, Nina. She offers Prodigy his first chance to settle down, and he has to weigh that offer while trying to serve as peacemaker for the domestic disputes of his friends and family. Meanwhile, Poppa Doc has his own problems to work out, trying to motivate his spoiled son and restore some love to his daughter's marriage. Hunter has no confidence in subtext; he explains every gesture for the reader's benefit and his characters speak as if reading from the world's least subtle cue cards. Prodigy, in particular, is given to mouthing public service announcements about the black man's responsibility to family life. Still, Hunter's agenda is the strength of this book; even cynical readers may be won over by his relentless positive message and push for African-American communities built on respect and love.
