Minor Black Figures

A painter. A priest. One hot New York summer.

'A genuinely swoony summer romance' New York Times
'Brilliant' Raven Leilani
'Stunning' Observer

Wyeth is a newcomer to New York, a young Black painter who is trying to find his place in the contemporary Manhattan art scene. He shares a studio with his friends and earns money working for a gallery and an art restorer but he’s struggling with his portrait painting, unable to truly capture the life of his subjects.

Then he meets Keating, a white former priest struggling with his faith. The two men seemingly have nothing in common, and yet Keating shows Wyeth how to see the world anew. But as the men grow closer, the differences between them become more stark, until Wyeth and Keating must decide what they are willing to risk – for art and for love.

'One of the most perfect books I've ever read' NPR

'A piercing, precise, and affecting tale of young love and high art' Kirkus

'One of the most accomplished, important novelists of his generation’ Guardian

'Brandon Taylor is without a doubt our laureate of hyper-intelligent yearning - nobody does it better' Lit Hub