The Cleanse

Abstract

The Cleanse is a novel that takes place deep in the Appalachians of the U.S. South—a queer woman named Nola finds herself at the forefront of a racial struggle for survival amidst a crumbling nation. One century after a Black genocide of the 2040's, Nola lives in a maroon community named Omega, built inside an Appalachian mountain for refuge while chaos ensues outside its walls. Fighting to return from a place of alienation in her community after a suicide attempt, young Nola begins having visceral dreams of an ancestor's fight for survival during the genocide. Nola must piece together the significance of these dreams before her and her people's lives are immutably changed. In this work I'm exploring queerness, ancestry and spirituality within the Black American context to navigate themes of community, joy and belonging in the face of racial oppression.