They Will Know Our Names

A Novel

By: Nicole Cuffy

Two friends, bound by music but separated by the Jim Crow-era color line, endure the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of life in this moving novel from the acclaimed author of O Sinners! and Dances

Hal Jansen, the artistic, sensitive youngest son of a successful department store executive, has just dropped out of college to begin a burgeoning folk music career when he stumbles into a chance performance by blues prodigy Rudy Amos. Amidst the political turmoil of the 1960’s, the two immediately strike up a profound camaraderie and begin to write songs as letters to each other, as a way of transmuting all of their tribulations into music. Over decades—through addiction, mental health crises, societal expectations, profound personal loss, failed marriages—the pair's brotherhood sees them through as they put everything on the line for their dreams.

Set against the backdrop of a changing America, They Will Know Our Names is a lyrical celebration of the transformative friendships that hold us through the chaos of life and the music that keeps us going, despite it all.

Critic reviews

“Cuffy’s tender, moving novel opens wide on America’s history and goes deep with our music and song. The beautiful through line, intimate and alive, is the friendship of two unforgettable artists.”—Amy Bloom