Return to Dixie by Truscott Jones

Truscott Jones delivers a potent reimagined history of the United States in Return to Dixie, echoing and exploring the stark divides that still sunder America today. 

In this startling vision of the past and present, Lincoln was assassinated before his inauguration, the Civil War never occurred, and the Confederacy persists into modern times, as does its foul legacy of racial supremacy. Within this contentious and creative premise, the story follows a tightly crafted cast of characters – a Shakespearean pair of star-crossed college students, a border-breaking legend of the ring, a sinister sheriff, and a rebellion-loving leader. As their lives and tales intertwine, this unpredictable piece of fiction pushes back on the assumptions, allegiances, and belief structures that have defined American life for more than a century.

The juxtaposition of traditional masculine pursuits with suppressed desire is a timely subject in contemporary entertainment, and one that Jones renders with grace, curiosity, and humanity. More broadly, the narrative voice is supremely confident and cogent, exploring complex emotions with a dextrous use of colloquial vocabulary across multiple eras.

Challenging readers’ ethical boundaries by reimagining our modern reality, this standout novel should be sought out by social activists and futurist dreamers alike, as it necessitates every reader to imagine a better world.

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