The Prodigal Son

A Novelette by DeVon White

What if coming home was the hardest part of the journey?

Synopsis: The Prodigal Son is a powerful contemporary novelette about heartbreak, disillusionment, and the haunting truth that some distances cannot be measured in miles.

DeMarco Banks leaves home convinced that independence requires distance from family, from responsibility, from the weight of expectation. Armed with confidence and freedom, he builds a life that looks like success from the outside. But what looks like liberation slowly unravels into consequence, isolation, and loss. The world, it turns out, does not cushion the fall indefinitely.

Left behind are two men defined by his absence in entirely different ways. A father who waits with quiet, unwavering resolve. And a brother forced to carry the burden of both anger and loyalty simultaneously, without relief.

The Prodigal Son does not rush toward reconciliation. It earns it. DeVon White traces the emotional cost of distance with controlled prose and psychological precision, exploring what happens not just to the one who leaves, but to everyone who stays. Real reconciliation, White understands, is rarely loud. The most difficult moments happen internally, without audience, without applause.

This is a modern parable rooted in realism. A story about pride and what it quietly destroys. About forgiveness that does not minimize accountability. About grace that does not erase consequence. And about the particular courage it takes to walk back through a door you chose to close.

Redemption is not about avoiding what you've done. It's about facing it honestly and finding out whether what you left behind is still there.

A quick and compelling read. Worth every page.

What Readers Are Saying

Review 1"The author draws you in with a kind of storytelling that keeps you engaged."

Review 2 — "An Absolute Gem" "An absolute gem."

Review 3 — "Must Read" "This book is a must-read. I could not put it down."

Review 4"This book draws you in with the level of detail and description given by the author. It takes a timeless story and brings it to life in today's time. It is a quick read and worth the investment."

About This Novelette

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Literary Drama Format: Paperback | Hardcover | Digital Publisher: Prosperity Publishing Solutions Release: 2025

Key Themes: Pride and its quiet cost — Redemption through accountability — Family, patience, and the labor of waiting — Forgiveness without erasure — The courage to return

If You Loved These, You'll Love The Prodigal Son

Beloved — Toni Morrison

An American Marriage — Tayari Jones

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The Prodigal Son is available now in paperback, hardcover, and digital formats.

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Sneak Preview

Chapter 1: The Departure

DeMarco had always believed he knew best. Rules were suggestions. Advice was noise. Even love, when it came with expectations, felt like a leash to him. So, when he stood across from his father one quiet evening and asked for his trust fund, he wasn’t seeking permission. He was making a declaration.

His father didn’t answer right away. The air between them was still, thick with the unspoken. The older man sat in his armchair, elbows resting on his knees, eyes fixed on the carpet. The weight of the request pressed on him, heavier than the years had ever managed to do.

“I’ve done what you asked,” DeMarco said. “School. The business internships. Everything. But I need to find out who I am, on my own. I’m not meant to follow a blueprint someone else drew for me.”

Still, no response. Only the soft ticking of the wall clock and the hum of the refrigerator down the hall.

After a long silence, his father finally lifted his head. His eyes were red-rimmed, tired in a way DeMarco had never seen before. “If I give you this,” he said slowly, “you must remember one thing. If things fall apart out there, if nothing works out, you can always come back home. No shame. No lectures. Just come home.”

DeMarco nodded, but only half-listened. His heart had already left. He heard the part about the trust fund, not the part about returning. The idea of failure didn’t register. In his mind, he was already beyond the walls of this house, past the reach of anyone who thought they knew what was best for him.

That night, he packed lightly. A couple of bags. Some clothes. A notebook. He didn’t even bother with things that had once mattered. Trophies. Photos. Childhood mementos. None of it felt relevant. Tomorrow didn’t feel like a new chapter. It felt like a brand-new book. One, he could finally write himself.

He slipped out before dawn. The house was quiet. The city was still dark and half-asleep. He didn’t leave a note. He didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t think he needed to.

His father, however, had hoped for a miracle. He had gone to bed thinking maybe sleep would soften his son’s resolve. Maybe the morning would bring clarity. Maybe love would win.

At first light, he rushed to DeMarco’s room. His heart beat fast as he climbed the stairs, hope barely holding together his worry. He opened the door, expecting to see his son curled under the covers, maybe irritated but still home. Instead, the room was stripped of life. The drawers were left half-open, the closet nearly bare, the bed unmade. The morning sun cut across the room through a gap in the curtains, spotlighting the emptiness.

He stood frozen. Then he stepped forward, almost in disbelief, and picked up the comforter that had fallen off the bed. He pulled it close to his chest and inhaled deeply. It still smelled like DeMarco. A mix of laundry soap and something boyish he could never quite name. That scent alone broke him.

“He’s gone,” he whispered. “He left. Without a word.”

The grief came in waves. He clutched the comforter like it was his son himself, rocking slightly, eyes glazed and wet. He didn’t even notice Cameron in the doorway until his older son stepped into the room.

“Dad,” Cameron said, his voice low.

Their father didn’t answer. He just kept repeating it. “He left. He’s gone. My son is gone.”

To Be Continued…