Arkansas Black

A haunting tale of brotherhood, betrayal, and resilience in the face of defeat.

Arkansas, 1927. When a late spring frost decimates the apple harvest, the Fitch family orchard collapses under the weight of ruin. Jesse Fitch, weary and pragmatic, prepares to leave the land behind with his wife and young son. But his identical twin, Silas-stubborn, rooted, and haunted 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-binding the brothers even as it tears them apart. As grief deepens and loyalties fracture, Jesse and Silas find themselves on opposite sides of a battle that threatens to unravel their family's legacy. Bloodlines stretch to the breaking point, and the survival of the Fitch clan hangs in the balance.

Set against the fading rhythms of a Southern landscape in turmoil, Arkansas Black is a lyrical 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 in 1927, during the collapse of the Arkansas apple industry, which was once the pride of the South. Arkansas Black is the 2023 Winner of the William Faulkner Literary Award.