Recently, I put out a call for book recommendations from my Facebook friends. I’ve been reading rather voraciously this year, and had reached a point where I had a bit of a lull while I waited for library holds to become available, or for books to be published. I have a lot of reader friends, so I figured they could point me in the direction of some books that hadn’t come across my radar, or that I should give a second look.
My friend Susan gave a strong recommendation for Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé, with the caveat that it dealt with some difficult subjects. I decided to read it on my recent vacation, because I don’t sleep well in hotels, so it wouldn’t matter if the book disturbed me, I’d be awake anyway.
I’m glad that I decided to give this book a chance, even though it deals with a theme that is a usual no-go for me. Yejidé has created something unique and memorable, and I think I’ll be a better writer and editor for being introduced to her.
The Plot, Such as It Is
Creatures of Passage is heavily character driven, but there are a few central conflicts that come to a head in the climax.
The main character of this novel is Nephthys Kinwell. True to her name, she serves as a sort of psychopomp. Rather than ferrying the dead to the afterlife, however, she is more a chauffer for lost souls in 1977 Washington, DC. In her magical Plymouth, she gives rides to those in need, those who might have no other safe transportation option.
Nephthys was born a twin; her brother was murdered, and his murder remains unsolved at the start of the book. Nephthys has felt adrift since this loss. She is estranged from her niece, and has a drinking problem, and has some concerns about her grasp on reality.
Oh, there’s also a dead white girl in the trunk of her car, but don’t worry, Nephthys didn’t murder her.
Another major character in this story is Dash, Nephthys’ 10-year-old nephew, who is struggling to understand something he witnessed at his school, while also suspecting that his seer mother has witnessed his death in a dream.
We encounter many other secondary characters, including Nephthys’ late twin Osiris, Dash’s mother, a young sex worker, and more. These various points of view weave together to create the narrative of what happened to Osiris, what Dash witnessed, and how a community solves problems it has left to fester for too long.
Heavy Material
Creatures of Passage takes place in a majority-black suburb of Washington, DC, in the 70s, with flashbacks to the 60s and possibly 50s. Osiris’ death was racially motivated, and the community deals with racism, poverty, drugs, and non-consensual sex work.
However, the biggest trigger warning comes for Dash’s storyline, which is central to the book. Dash has witnessed an act of child molestation at his school. There is a section of the book which is told from the point of view of the perpetrator, which was difficult to read (this sort of content is usually a no-go for me).
Both Osiris’ death and the pedophilia are handled in a non-sensational way, however. The incidents are not rendered in intimate detail. The narrative makes clear what sort of event has happened, but not the specifics. It does not feel at all voyeuristic, which made it possible for me to continue to read the book.
That said, readers which are particularly sensitive to either racial violence or child molestation should either read with care, or consider skipping this book entirely.
That Writing, Though
If you can handle the themes of this work, Creatures of Passage is a must-read. Yejidé’s writing is unlike anything I’ve read before. The story is clearly inspired by Egyptian mythology, and it has an epic feeling despite its mundane setting and small scope. There’s a poetry to the author’s voice. She has a way of repeating certain phrases, like touchstones, that tie the whole narrative together in a way that it feels like it’s an oration, rather than a written novel.
I feel like this is a book that should be taught in creative writing workshops. It’s an example of how narrative doesn’t have to fit neatly into the dominant idea of “craft”, how prose can be as lyrical as poetry, how difficult stories can be told beautifully, so that they lodge hooks into your heart.
Genre Expectations
Creatures of Passage could be labeled as either urban fantasy or magical realism, but I think the latter label is more accurate. I think urban fantasy has certain specific genre expectations attached to it, just like epic fantasy and romance do. If you read this novel expecting something that will remind you of Dresden or October Daye, you’re going to be disappointed. There’s no wise-cracking PI, no vampires or faeries, no magical underground societies.
Instead, you get a world that feels much like our own, despite some mythical labels (instead of states and presidents, we have kingdoms and kings, as if this was a modern fairy tale).
Who Should Read This Book?
I’d recommend this book to anyone looking to explore just what fiction can be like. I also recommend it to anyone who is feeling a little bored by common fantasy tropes and wants to read something completely different. Anyone with an interest in retellings of myths, or fantasy with a realistically dark undercurrent.
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