The Devil Three Times

“A debut of enormous ambition” spanning eight generations of a Black family in West Tennessee as they are repeatedly visited by the Devil (Nathan Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Sweetness of Water)Yetunde awakens aboard a slave ship en route to the United States with the spirit of her dead sister as her only companion. Desperate to survive the hell that awaits her at their destination, Yetunde finds help in an unexpected form—the Devil himself. The Devil, seeking a way to reenter the pearly gates of heaven, decides to prove himself to an indifferent God by protecting Yetunde and granting her a piece of his supernatural power. In return, Yetunde makes an incredible sacrifice.

“A major new talent announces himself with The Devil Three Times. Rickey Fayne has written a structurally inventive novel that challenges nearly everything we've been taught about God and the Devil and the usefulness of Jesus’s love for Black folks. This book is daring, and it challenged me at every turn. I was also deeply moved by its soulful belief in a universe in which we are all connected across generations.” ―Attica Locke, New York Times bestselling author of Guide Me Home and Bluebird, Bluebird

“A debut of enormous ambition that succeeds on every level. This is a page-turning, rollicking novel that is both an intimate family saga and an elegy for the American experience. Not since James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain has a debut conveyed Black spirituality with such passion, style, and brio. From the first page, I was spellbound, and was left devastated by the novel’s end. This is what literature is all about.”―Nathan Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Sweetness of Water

“If Milton taught us something sexy about the Devil, this deliciously sacrilegious and profane debut by Rickey Fayne thrusts the dark and needy anti-hero through the sloppy heart of American nation building. In The Devil Three Times, the Laurent family and their black winged guardian—their triumphs or subjections, from the plantation system to the heavenly plane—will sing their way into the consciousness of any reader ready to listen. Fayne’s voice triumphs at the nexus of intimacy and violence, reminding us never to look away from what we all, under some banner of fear or righteousness, once dared to want.”

―Joseph Earl Thomas, author of God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer and Sink

“A brilliant gospel chorus of resilience and humanity. We cover generations with storytelling that is equally smart, sexy, propulsive, and inventive. It’s a scary novel that holds armfuls of beauty. Whole pages will stick with you, as they’ve stuck with me. Rickey Fayne’s talent is a joy to behold.” ―Gabriel Bump, author Everywhere You Don’t Belong and The New Naturals