“When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women” by Ellen Morris Prewitt

One of the aspects I love most about Southern literature is its deep sense of place. This novel is no different. New Orleans was a perfectly chosen setting for this genre-bending tale. Like the city itself, with its legends, ghosts, history, and beliefs, When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women by Ellen Morris Prewitt draws on elements of fantasy, magical realism, coming-of-age, and historical fiction to create a unique literary blend. One can easily imagine the spirits of those who have passed taking corporeal form through the utterance of a ditty amid the city’s dense neighborhoods and rich folklore.

Etoile carelessly recites, “Ancient Chartres decree the Royal Dauphine drink Burgundy while seated on the Rampart of the castle until St. Claude rises from the dead again.” This utterance brings forth a castle, St. Claude, Grande Red, the Dauphine, and Etoile’s three ancestral grannies: Bigmama, Tip Top, and Elfy. Each grannie committed an act—or acts—of violence in her past, which has been carried forward through subsequent generations. Etoile must find a way to restore the Dauphine, help her grannies move forward, and find peace with her own violent past.

At the outset, St. Claude gives Etoile a key piece of advice and unveils the true heart of the tale: Etoile is all of the familiars in the story. She must discover how and why before the present can be restored. Meanwhile, Grande Red, the Dauphine’s mother, has her own agenda. She deceives them and thwarts their efforts to protect the Dauphine and his choice.

When the novel settled into a stronger blend of historical fiction and coming-of-age narrative around its midpoint, I felt its intrinsic core as a coming-of-age story truly shone. The introduction of so many varying genre elements initially felt disjointed. However, the narrative smoothed out as Etoile and her grannies revealed their pasts and engaged in a cohesive plan to protect the Dauphine. Etoile’s character growth reflected this shift in the narrative as she wrestled with the difficult topics of inherited trauma, identity, and the deeply felt process of deciding what to carry forward from previous generations—not through the revisionist rewriting of history, but through the quiet strength of choosing the parts that would define her in the present and beyond.

A deep love and understanding of New Orleans’ past, along with an acceptance of supernatural folklore, allow this novel to feel believable. Other reviewers have expressed similar sentiments about this novel being a love letter to New Orleans, and I agree. The city comes alive and exists in the novel as a constant underlying character. Readers may also find evidence of the author’s dry wit throughout the tale.

I would be remiss not to mention that readers sensitive to strong language or bodily violence—even when handled with a light touch—should know that this novel contains both.

I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy unusually structured tales, books in which the setting gives off character energy, or coming-of-age stories. I extend my thanks to Hannah Larrew at Spellbound Public Relations and Literary Wanderlust for providing me with this copy to review.

Ellen Morris Prewitt

Prewitt is an award-winning author  and a Peter Taylor Fellow whose stories have twice been nominated for Pushcart Prize; one received a Special Mention. Her work has appeared in The Pinch, Alaska Quarterly Review, Gulf Coast, Fourth Genre, Barrelhouse, Porchlight, River Teeth, EAP, Salvation South, and elsewhere. She’s Writer-in-Residence at 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis, a proselytizer on the power of writing, a former lawyer, and a current obsessive swimmer. She lives in New Orleans where she (and her husband and her dog and her house) can frequently be found in costume. When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women is her first traditionally published novel.