New Harmony finds its soulfulness in the struggles and triumphs woven into Southern life and the complexities of race, sexuality, and gender in New Harmony, South Carolina. As the protagonist, Margaret Butler's story is the nightmare every mother fears—the murder of her son. Margaret's narration weaves a heartfelt story, enriched by dialect, that focuses on themes of wisdom, love, and loss, set against the backdrop of a young Black boy's death in a town that dares to call itself New Harmony.
As the protagonist, Margaret Butler is a deeply spiritual Black woman born in 1905 who echoes the laments of former slaves. Her story contains the nightmare every Black mother fears—the murder of her sixteen-year-old son, Thad. Margaret's narration weaves a heartfelt tale, enriched by dialect, focusing on themes of wisdom, love, and loss, set against the backdrop of a young Black boy's death in a town that dares to call itself New Harmony. Hollis Demmings and his son Floyd serve as the antagonists, with hatred underpinning the subtext of their lives. In doing so, New Harmony explores issues related to race, bigotry, sexuality, gender, and violence.
In doing so, New Harmony examines how the normalcy surrounding paradoxes driven by hatred transforms desire, love, and greed into acts of hostility. Desire causes Floyd's threatening confrontation with Margaret and also sets the stage for questionable parentage. Love fuels hatred to justify murder, while greed drives framing the innocent. Although the paradoxes of Southern life remain the main theme, readers discover an ending that uncovers the hidden truths behind murder, offering surprising insights into the characters' true identities.
New Harmony is the first of a three-part series.
