Summertime is here, and a lot of us have water on our minds, whether it’s the refreshing cool of a swimming pool on a hot day or the persistent rain that’s been visiting us lately. In Leslye Penelope’s new historical fantasy novel “Daughter of the Merciful Deep,” water serves as both the primary threat facing the small close-knit community of Awenasa and as the path to its salvation. The novel begins with a group of strange cars pulling into Awenasa, an all-Black Southern town founded by a Black man who was able to purchase a small amount of land after the Civil War.
Awenasa has been a refuge for Jane Edwards and her family, who were forced to flee their previous home following the lynching of a young Black man and the subsequent forced expulsion of all that town’s Black residents. Jane hasn’t spoken since, relying on sign language to communicate with those around her, especially her close friend Daniel. The cars belong to a group of White men who announce that Awenasa will soon be destroyed as part of the project to erect a dam on the nearby Noxahatchie River.
The town will be completely flooded, and they’re here to pressure the residents to sell their property before it’s too late. The dam is coming either way, they tell the townsfolk, and it’s only smart to sell now. This part of the story is based on the real-life history of numerous “drowned towns” across the United States, and Penelope has clearly done her research.
Amidst the hubbub, Jane notice.
