Everybody Knows what Time it is

Book excerpt: The future South is not what it used to be. In the year 2020, three children of the South find themselves embroiled in a tangled plot of sex, music, and violence. As they face the destructive excesses of the modern world, they must examine their place in history in order to forge meaning from their solitary lives. Depicting characters' experiences with their own black identity, Everybody Knows exposes the tragic absurdities of life in the 21st century. Written in one of the most unique prose styles to appear in recent years, this innovative novel pulls from a vast range of cultural sources, from German philosophy to contemporary R&B. An examination of both love and oppression, Everybody Knows is a comment on the spiritual condition of modern America.