R L'S Dream

From New York Times bestselling author Walter Mosley, this life-affirming novel about an aging bluesman in New York City and the neighbor who takes him in after he’s evicted is “a mesmerizing and redemptive tale of friendship, love, and forgiveness” (San Francisco Review of Books).

Soupspoon Wise is alone and dying of cancer on the unforgiving streets of New York City, years and worlds away from the Mississippi delta, where he once jammed with blues legend Robert "RL" Johnson. It was an experience that burned indelibly into Soupspoon's soul—never mind that they said RL's gift came from the Devil himself. Now it's Soupspoon's turn to strike a deal with a stranger.

A hard-drinking, swearing redhead from Arkansas, neighbor Kiki Waters isn't much better off than Soupspoon, but she too is a child of the South, and knows its pull. And she is determined to let Soupspoon ride out the final notes of his haunting blues dream, to pour out the remarkable tale of what he's seen, where he's been—and where he's going.

Mosley creates a “a meditation on the history and meaning of the blues” (Entertainment Weekly) in R L’s Dream, which practically sings a soulful blues song itself.

Walter Mosley is the author of over sixty critically acclaimed books of fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and plays. His work has been translated into twenty-five languages. He is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, The Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award, a Grammy, several NAACP Image Awards, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, he was named the recipient of the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and was awarded the Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award from the National Book Foundation. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mosley now lives between Brooklyn and Los Angeles.