The Devil Three Times
Rickey Fayne’s debut novel is an ambitious family saga that spans 175 years of history, from the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade right up to modern times. The novel’s inspiration from Black spiritual traditions and folklore is evident from the very beginning when the Devil, banished from heaven, agrees to help Black people escape the tyranny of slavery if Jesus will, in turn, assist him in his bid to re-enter paradise.
The action immediately segues to the first narrative perspective, Yetunde, captured from her village in Africa and put on a slave ship bound for Tennessee. Thus begins a wide-ranging exploration of the lives of Yetunde’s descendants, each generation seeking to understand its own identity and navigate the oppressions and opportunities presented by the world around them. Some find contentment but many don’t – and everyone’s life is coloured by family relationships (legal and natural, open and secret), religion, art, alcohol and money. Each story is fascinating, and we move from lives of slavery on the Tennessee plantation, to post-Civil War freedom through to the Great Migration.
However, powerful as this generational saga is, what gives this novel its uniqueness is the prevalence of African spirituality and belief systems, imbuing every life, even those who choose a Christian path. Yetunde makes frequent appearances – her yellow dress a constant reminder of slavery – and the interface between this world and the next is thin, symbolised by water. The evocative language captures Black lives perfectly through a stream of consciousness, non-linear narrative.
This novel is not an easy read, but the reward is the appreciation of a work of modern literary fiction of the highest order. I loved every moment that I spent immersed in the richness of this narrative, and felt honoured and humbled to be given a glimpse of the trials and triumphs of these lives.
