Book Summary and Reviews of The Edge of Yesterday by Rita Woods

The Edge of Yesterday by Rita Woods

The Edge of Yesterday

by Rita Woods

  • Published:
  • Apr 2025, 288 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

The Edge of Yesterday is a haunting contemporary speculative novel about time travel and finding yourself from award-winning author Rita Woods.

Greer Coffey is a principal dancer with a renowned Harlem company. Sebastian Coffey is an architect with a prestigious Midtown firm. The Coffeys are the ultimate dream couple ― until their world completely unravels. After Greer develops a career ending neurologic disorder, she finds herself back in her hometown of Detroit. Angry, lonely, her marriage buckling under the strain, she takes to aimlessly wandering the city streets. One night, she stumbles through a vortex, a portal through time that transports her back into 1925 Detroit, where she meets a handsome, charming doctor.

Dr. Montgomery Gray is a member of Detroit's Black Aristocracy, wealthy and connected to some of the most powerful Black families in the country. Detroit in 1925 is the beating heart of an industrial nation, but it is also a tinderbox of poor immigrants, Prohibition driven gang wars, and the Klan. As a member of the Talented Tenth, Monty is expected to be the tip of the spear in the fight for the Race, no matter the cost. Exhausted, frustrated, and longing to break free of expectations, he is stunned to find a woman from the future roaming Detroit's Black Bottom.

Initially cautious, Monty and Greer slowly grow increasingly exhilarated with the visits. For Greer, 1925 offers an escape from the sorrow of her "real life," and for Monty, the future that Greer lays before him is irresistible. But 2025 becomes gradually less and less recognizable, as each visit back through time causes increasing rips in the timeline. Ultimately, Greer finds herself trapped in 1925 and Monty is forced into a deadly confrontation that changes the trajectory of his life.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Detroit is a central setting in The Edge of Yesterday, while also serving as a character within the book itself. Discuss the importance of Detroit as a setting. Is there a town or city that feels like home to you? How would you describe the town or city to others?
  2. The Edge of Yesterday features time travel as a key part of the story, as Greer travels back and forth between past and present. If you could travel through time, where would go you? Would you like to witness a specific historical event? If so, which one and why?
  3. Monty, heir to the Gray family, is worried about living up to his family legacy, both as a doctor and as a fiancé. Greer, now part of the esteemed Coffey family, is anxious about living up to her ...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"The Edge of Yesterday is a spinning, swirling novel of extraordinary imagination. Readers are transported back and forth in time in an unforgettable story of second chances and what ifs." ―Elizabeth Gonzalez James, author of The Bullet Swallower

"Expertly weaving together the past and the present, The Edge of Yesterday is a poignant tale about the dangers of pursuing a freedom one was never meant to have, and about surviving those consequences by holding onto the hope of tomorrow. A story so universal it transcends time." ―O.O. Sangoyomi, author of Masquerade

"Fans of historical fiction will love this gorgeous, surreal tale of two lives across time, one drawn to the past, the other to the future, both seeking escape and both forever changed by the devastating consequences of their choices." ―Veronica G. Henry, author of The Canopy Keepers

This information about The Edge of Yesterday was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Rita Woods

Rita Woods was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She received a BS in Microbiology from Purdue University before graduating from Howard University College of Medicine. She completed her training at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and currently serves as Medical Director of a Wellness Center that provides care for members of one of the largest Trade Unions in the nation.

Rita lives in suburban Chicago with her family, where she also serves as a Trustee on her local library board. She loves magic, books, history, coffee and traveling, not necessarily in that order. She is the author of the award-winning novel, Remembrance.

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