Zeal by Morgan Jerkins
Jerkins’ (Caul Baby) latest has this vital duality. It’s about the lasting consequences of slavery, just as it is about the power of love. It’s 1865, and Harrison has been discharged from the Union Army as a free man, so he tries to reunite with his love, Tirzah. His plans get rearranged, though, after he settles with another woman after a tragedy. Then there’s Tirzah, who teaches at the Freedman’s School. She sees an ad in the paper looking for her and knows it’s Harrison looking for her, but the state of the world, despite her new freedom, means reuniting with him is full of risk. Jerkins’ narrative sweeps over generations, and 150 years later, in 2019 Harlem, Ardelia and Oliver are hosting their engagement party, and he gives her a crumbling, aged love letter. The question of whether their connection was some sort of cosmic reconciliation, started generations ago, arises.