The Through

THE THROUGH

By A. Rafael Johnson

Fantasy, reality, past, present, or a mixture of all of the above? How does what once was impact our present and future? As much as we as humans would like to think we have all the answers, there are always things and events that simply cannot be explained away, reminding us how limited our knowledge is. Such is the case with A. Rafael Johnson’s The Through.

The story begins in New Orleans with Adrian, who as a young girl was molested by an older man named Marcel. Sadly, her mother didn’t believe her, and Adrian manifested an icy “twin.” Subsequently, Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005, and her mother and Marcel died in the flood. In the aftermath of the hurricane, Adrian wound up in a psychiatric hospital, suffering from the trauma.

As an adult, she and three partners establish a business in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she meets Ben, and they take up residence in Northport. Ben is a college professor with a career that’s going nowhere, and his motivation is going downhill with his disappointments in life. Not far from where they live is a vacant area that was once a town called Okahika, but it is now known as The Through.

Call it magic, call it voodoo, call it alternate reality, Adrian and Ben’s past personal traumas and pain collide with the haunting ghosts of history, of a slave ship known as Yemaya, and a town that shows up in many portals of the South. Will they be able to come to terms with the demons of the past and move forward? And what does this mean for them as a couple?

Johnson’s debut novel garnered him a place as a finalist in the Minnesota Book Awards and an outstanding wordsmith/storyteller. With characters like Cut Mary, Ethiopia Jackson, and the slave ship Yemaya, the line between the present and the paranormal is a fine one for Adrian and Ben. When the novel speaks of history, I am reminded once again of our oral tradition, as well as the way Johnson shows how much more there is than meets the eye, especially the difference between “truth and fact.”

How often have you experienced a phenomenon you can’t explain, and you refrain from sharing it with others because you’re afraid they’ll think you’re crazy?

The Through is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Jaded Ibis Press. And let’s give a hat tip to Tomashi Jackson for her intriguing artwork.

Thank you, Rafael, for giving us another facet of the diversity and talent we possess as Black authors. It’s quite a ride!