2025 was a bit of a light novella year for me, so I’ve kept on the lookout for intriguing options to try. A couple compelling reviews for Eden Royce’s adult debut Psychopomp and Circumstance were all the push I needed to scour my library system for a copy.
Psychopomp and Circumstance is a Reconstruction Era fantasy of manners, in which a young woman chafing against the overwhelming social pressure to quickly marry defies her mother to coordinate the funeral proceedings for an estranged aunt. It doesn’t take long to realize not only that the responsibility is greater than she expected, but also that her aunt’s life had contained more magic than she reckoned, some of which may yet guide her through the process.
Psychopomp and Circumstance has no interest in wowing the reader with action sequences or magical mayhem, and even the interpersonal conflicts tend to slowly simmer more than erupt into showy conflagrations. Instead, the majority of the narrative is carried by the lead’s determination to do right by a relative she sees as unjustly estranged and by the small wonders slowly revealed as she explores the world outside her flooded home of New Charleston. It’s not a strategy that makes for a story that’s impossible to put down—and there are times where it may leave the reader screaming at the lead about questions she really should be asking—but it makes for a quietly effective introduction to a small-scale story. Both the fantastical and interpersonal elements are strong enough to keep the reader’s attention while the slow-developing plot unfolds.
It’s clear from the beginning that that slow plot development would eventually open up into revelations about the enmity between the lead’s mother and aunt, along with further exploration of the magical refuge to which the deceased had dedicated her life. But while it’s not a surprise to see certain plot beats, the details and their effect on the lead deliver enough magic to keep the whole thing feeling fresh.
The thematic development also adds increasing depth as the story progresses. The pieces are on the table fairly early, but they play out in new—and sometimes surprising—ways. Ultimately, it’s a case for making the choices to aid those around you, even if it doesn’t seem there’s much you can do. The lead is inexperienced, has no family support, and can do nothing to bring her aunt back from the dead. And yet she sets about to help as best she can. When she happens upon people scarred by slavery and racial violence, there’s similarly nothing she can do that will erase what has happened. But that doesn’t mean she can do nothing. It’s a quiet book that nevertheless makes a full-throated argument for those small-seeming choices.
Secondarily, it also demonstrates the vital importance of community. This theme is not quite as consistent as I would like, as there’s a significant dose of “trust your gut and things will work out” that I find doubtful in a lead whose gut has not been trained by years of hard decisions. But even so, the biggest efforts are worked alongside others offering their own wisdom and experience to make their own inroads toward the good. The decisions matter, but the next step is finding others striving toward the same goals.
On the whole, Psychopomp and Circumstance is a pleasant read with a strong message about taking action even when it’s difficult or seems not to matter. There are a few too many problems solved by relying on gut feeling and a few too many moments where the lead is frustratingly incurious about seemingly huge questions, but for a reader willing to lean into the small-scale story and slow sense of discovery in a fantastical Reconstruction Era, it is well worth the read.
Recommended if you like: fantasy of manners, Reconstruction Era settings, community-building after collective trauma.
Can I use it for Bingo? It’s hard mode for Unusual Transportation and The Afterlife and is also written by an Author of Color.
Overall rating: 15 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.