Historical Novel “The Twisted Crown” Explores A Black Woman’s Journey After Slavery Has Just Ended

Anita Bunkley’s latest novel The Twisted Crown tells the story of Eva Phillips, a black woman who sets out on a dangerous journey from the North to the South at the height of the Abolitionist movement.

Set in 1867 shortly after slavery and the Civil War have ended, The Twisted Crown takes readers from the busy streets of Boston to a demolished South Carolina during the Reconstruction era, where the government’s efforts to re-establish the political and cultural environment of the state is in progress.

Our spirited protagonist Eva Phillips, who was born a slave but lived in freedom, travels to the chaotic South Carolina on a quest to find the mother who gave her away.

Throughout her quest, she meets a black political activist promoting the rights of newly freed slaves, a Northern Carpetbagger, and a lady gambler who provides Eva with the skills needed to survive in the hectic Post-war environment. Yet, the journey eventually lands Eva into a threatening web of lies, theft, and murder, making her the target of a confrontation that forces her into fighting for her life.

The Twisted Crown was inspired by the life of Bunkley’s great-grandfather, a white Northerner who traveled to South Carolina after the Civil War. There, he married a woman of color and later served as a state senator in South Carolina during Reconstruction.

Over the course of nearly three decades, Anita Bunkley’s literary career has produced much-needed novels that introduce readers to particular periods of history, told from the Afro-centric point of view. Bunkley is from Columbus, Ohio, and currently resides in Cypress, Texas.  Her latest novel, The Twisted Crown, is available for purchase through Amazon.

To learn more about Bunkley’s work, please visit her personal website.