Arkansas Black

Alexander Blevens spins a haunting, atmospheric tale of brotherhood, betrayal, and reconciliation in this William Faulkner Literary and Spur Award-winning novel. Arkansas, 1927. When late spring frost destroys the apple harvest, the Fitch family orchard collapses under the weight of ruin. Jesse Fitch, weary but pragmatic, prepares to leave the land behind with his wife and young son. But his identical twin, Silas—stubborn, rooted, and tormented by legacy—refuses to abandon the soil that shaped their families. Before the Fitches can part ways, a sudden tragedy unearths a long-buried secret—deepening the brothers' emotional bond even as it tears them apart. As grief intensifies, loyalties fracture, and bloodlines stretch to a breaking point, Jesse and Silas find themselves on opposite sides of a battle that threatens to destroy their family. The Fitch clan's survival hangs in the balance. Set against the fading light of a Southern landscape in turmoil, Arkansas Black is a literary reflection on inheritance, identity, and the fragile threads that hold a family together when everything else falls apart. Arkansas Black is titled after the namesake apple variety from Northwest Arkansas. The story unfolds as the Arkansas apple industry collapses, once the pride of the South. Fans of Ron Rash, Cormac McCarthy, and Tom Franklin will find this story compelling and evocative. "A tense, bittersweet, and richly atmospheric novel that left me deeply emotional." —Goodreads review. " … a novel to savor." —Robert G., Goodreads review.