Time Conjurer by Michael Arthur Kennedy
Some books have the power to both entertain and enlighten readers, such as Michael Arthur Kennedy’s debut novel, Time Conjurer (BookBaby). This unique work of fantasy touches on real-world issues as readers are transported through time to the Jim Crow South.
Since he was a child, Dr. Kenny Lawson has been plagued by nightmares of family members falling ill — premonitions that always come true! Encouraged by his grandmother, Nana, to expand his knowledge of hoodoo — a practice forbidden by his emotionally distant mother and mocked by his abusive older brother — Kenny learns to travel through time using photographs.
Though the power is used by Nana for nostalgic purposes, Kenny quickly realizes how drastically his presence in the past can change the course of time.
When Kenny goes back and drastically changes his life for the better, Nana can’t help but berate him for his carelessness. One life is lost and one is changed for the worse — and what other evil genies did he let out in the process? However, Nana soon realizes they may need to travel even further back in time to make an even bigger change to save her older sister from a terrible fate.
Hatred and Hexes in 1950s Charleston
In 1950s Charleston, young Phyllis (aka Nana) and her older sister, Delilah, face the atrocities of racism and hatred. After the gruesome lynching of her fiancé, Delilah places a hex on the cruel woman responsible. But when the woman’s daughter, Gretchen, comes looking to reclaim her mother’s soul, she and Delilah accidentally slip into a photograph, vanishing before Phyllis’s eyes.
While Gretchen soon finds her way back, Delilah becomes stuck behind the photo, trapped in a labyrinth beyond time and space, where she’s able to watch the world unfold.
In an attempt to change Delilah’s fate, Kenny and Nana go back in time to try and save her fiancé, Nathanial, from his brutal end. But when things go terribly wrong — including Kenny’s life nearly meeting the same end — the two realize there are some events that just can’t be changed.
Thwarted in their attempts to save Nathaniel, Kenny and Nana must stop Gretchen from learning their hoodoo practices and following them back to their time. Otherwise, they may never escape her grasp. Together, Kenny and Nana save Delilah and defeat Gretchen in a most unexpected way.
A Raw Portrayal of the Jim Crow South
Time Conjurer isn’t just a work of unique fantasy, but also a raw portrayal of the realities of the Jim Crow South. The hateful and violent acts inflicted on the main characters are haunting and all too real for many people of the time. But the story is about more than the pain they endured — it’s about the culture and community that sustained them.
Kennedy thoroughly explores the cultural identity of these Black Southerners, creating a compelling narrative with complex and expansive characters. From “mulatto” prostitutes walking the urban streets of Charleston to rural Black men working farmland, these characters jump off the page. Kennedy pays particular attention to their Christian faith and hoodoo practices, and how these have shaped their identity as a community.
At the end of the book, readers will find an extensive list of resources for secondary reading on topics like hoodoo, slavery, Gulla Geechee culture and so much more.
Time Conjurer is perfect for fans of magical realism that touches on real-world issues. Kennedy constructs unique fantasy elements based on hoodoo practices, adding a distinctive cultural flair that adds to the story’s appeal. The main villain is one readers will love to hate, and her ending will surely slake their thirst for literary vengeance.
Michael Arthur Kennedy is an Occupational Medicine physician born in Cambridge, Massachusetts with maternal roots in Charleston, South Carolina. He loves Jazz, photography and historical fiction.
