Long After We Are Gone

An estranged family’s redemption

Here is a story that will explore the unconditional love of family, regardless of the circumstances they might be experiencing personally or the distance from which they will need to travel to find their way back together. The four Solomon siblings, having shared a traumatic childhood with the loss of their mother and the stern aloofness of their father have become estranged as adults. Each are battling their own struggles and self destruction from the unknown whereabouts of their mother and the refusal to ever discuss her, not even sharing her name with them.
They’ve been raised by their father, King, who they all have love for that equals their fear and craving for his affection and acceptance. The emphasis on the ancestral 200 acre of land that has been occupied by their family during plantation life enslaved, emancipation and then the ownership of the land, through Jim Crow era and all other oppositional matters they’ve faced in the Deep South regarding their land. Naturally, it was targeted by white men to make theirs, offers of huge sums to sell and every generation refused resulting in backhanded ways to try to make a land grab though never successful. It is why King Solomon reveres the land, world so hard to keep it from the white man, a promise wach first born Solomon has inherited and made good on.
Yet, when King suddenly dies, the four siblings not only are grieving but they each have personal troubles that they’re hiding from each other further causing anxiety and emotions to be multiplied. As they each grasp at finding seemingly impossible solutions to their secretive dilemmas their estrangement comes to an abrupt end when theyre informed that an uncle, their fathers brother, has jeopardized the Kingdom and the 200 acres they now all own and promised to honor their fathers wish to keep. With the odds stacked against them and tensions high the individual secrets begin to surface. How they reveal themselves will shape how they move forward when receiving a legal notice to vacate the Kingdom in two weeks time.
With no choice but put their differences and secrets aside, the four Solomon’s must find a way to keep the Solomon legacy intact and stop the transfer of ownership. The lengths these four go to keep the Kingdom will both impress and shock the reader. The gaps close as they begin to share theit pwrsonal secrets and express their feelings allowing their siblings to support and validate them.
A beautiful testament to the familial bonds that reach beyond intergenerational trauma and divides to strengthen the ties that bind, to heal and support one another during times of trouble. Their innate protectiveness and unwavering love these four have despite the lack of emotional needs being met and affection sparse in nature they have shown to have a maturity that surpasses the example they were given.
A beautiful redemption story about intergenerational trauma and how some are strong enough, aware of its damage and stunt of inner growth and a collective will to stop the cycle in continuing the behaviors and neglected emotions to right the present in order to fill the future generations with the stability, security and expressive communication encouraging confidence, esteem and healthier connections in the next generation of Solomons.
An endearing portrait of bonds between siblings particularly those who have endured childhood trauma and the individual results that stem from it.