But from the moment we meet her through almost every page of this novel, she dominates as few characters can. The physical details of the historical period fall into place through a few strokes essential to each scene: a ballroom where the elite of African American society gather, a pool hall, a crowded nightclub, a bootleggers warehouse, the office of a scholarly journal where Clara works, a foul-smelling alley where the poorest people live, and above all the scenes of the Over There where Clara can perceive many types of spirits, the auras surrounding people and the truly dangerous presences she doesn’t dare get close to.Ĭlara Johnson, with her defiant personality and spiritual sight, marches into one troubling situation after another. Penelope recreates segregated Washington DC of the 1920s not through elaborate description of the urban setting but through wonderfully vivid evocations of each character and the problems they face. Too often, a fictional world comes to life through detailed descriptions of the land, the buildings and other physical characteristics while the characters are fairly flat beings moving through that interesting landscape. The Monsters We Defy evokes the world of prohibition-era Washington DC through the interactions and details of its fascinating characters. At its center is the bristling and unforgettable Clara Johnson, who has “second sight” into the spiritual world and can summon the “Enigmas” that bestow gifts on humans but always at a heavy price.

She sees this world through multiple layers of spiritual realities that empower and burden each major character, and those spiritual qualities, while being great fun to read about, also work as metaphors for the real struggles people endure to find out who they are. Though I could use the marketing labels ( historical fantasy, romance, etc) to describe the story, The Monsters We Defy is so insightful and brilliant that conventional terms fail utterly to convey Penelope’s special vision.

Leslye Penelope takes us in the masterful The Monsters We Defy to 1925 Washington DC and its thriving but caste-bound African American elite community where spirits battle for souls.

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope