Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Devil Three Times by Rickey Fayne

1. How might the Devil's complicated relationship with God mirror the Laurents' parent child relationships? And, more broadly, what might this indicate about Black people's relationship with the church and Christianity, in a world shaped by the legacy of colonialism and slavery?
2. Yetunde says, "My people were river people." Rivers and, more generally, bodies of water are important settings throughout The Devil Three Times. What moments at rivers or near bodies of water were especially memorable to you?
3. Lillian and Asa enter into a sexual relationship, and Asa believes himself to be deeply in love with her—even decades later, when they run away together. How does Fayne render the complexity of Asa's experience, with its mix of love and exploitation? What are the unique power dynamics at play in this relationship?
4. Asa is taken from his mother and sister and raised in the plantation house as white. Bubba lives most of his life as a white man, though he's actually Asa's son. What does Asa lose as he gains some of the privileges of whiteness? Similarly, what does Bubba gain or lose after coming into the knowledge of his heritage?
5. Despite their best intentions, many of the Laurents struggle with addiction. Some are both victims and perpetrators of abuse. What are some cycles that you see repeating throughout the family? Is there a connection between inherited trauma, addiction, and abuse?
6. Yetunde's supernatural abilities and her connection to the dead stem from African spiritual practices that predate Christianity. How does the manifestation of these abilities change after Yetunde encounters the Devil and her descendants adopt Christianity? Which elements of those spiritual practices persist, and which are lost, over time?
7. Louis and Ernestine's obsessive romantic attraction has deadly consequences, as does Cassandra and Porter's calamitous relationship generations later. Does fate or free will bring these lovers together? Are they responsible for their respective demises, or are the outcomes of these relationships their cosmic punishment?
8. The Devil says he'll protect Yetunde's descendants, but still they suffer enormously. How do the struggles that the Laurents face change with each generation? What do the 20th century descendants have in common with Yetunde and her children?
9. How do you feel about where the Laurents are at the novel's end, and what might lie ahead for them?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Little Brown & Company. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.