A mixed-race woman from a working-class family marrying a high-born white man was a tabloid news scandal and the subject of societal backlash 100 years ago. Could this take place in the present day? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
As a fan of Denny Bryce’s historical novels such as The Other Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria's Goddaughter, and Can't We Be Friends: A Novel of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, I was looking forward to reading The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander, also based on a mind-boggling true story.
What I love about Bryce and other Black women historical fiction novelists is that their work is smart and intentional. The novels bring little-known facts and stories from a not-too-distant past to the forefront. Bryce invites the reader into the settings of her stories, allowing us to experience the past alongside remarkable people of the era. This latest tale centers three Black women: Mrs. Alice Rhinelander, her estranged niece Roberta Brooks, and Marvel Cunningham, the Black reporter who covers the trial. This story combines the excitement of the Harlem Renaissance, a highly publicized public scandal, a frowned-upon interracial relationship, wealth, beauty, and intrigue.
From the Publisher, Kensington Books
“Inspired by a real-life scandal that was shocking even for the tumultuous Roaring Twenties, this captivating novel tells the story of a pioneering Black journalist, a secret interracial marriage among the New York elite, and the sensational divorce case that ignited an explosive battle over race and class—and brought together three very different women fighting for justice, legitimacy, and the futures they risked everything to shape.”
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Author Denny Bryce gives us the inside dish on this intriguing story
How did you learn about the trial?
This story idea goes back to when I met my first editor for my first book. At that time, Esi Sogah (currently an Executive Editor at Berkley) was at Kensington Publishing and had recently bought my first novel, Wild Women and the Blues. I traveled to New York City for a sit-down meeting. We had a lovely lunch and a conversation about what other book ideas I had buried beneath the bed. The story of Alice Beatrice Jones, who would marry to become the title character, was Esi’s idea. She introduced me to Alice and Kip Rhinelander’s front-page news story of the 1920s. I immediately began collecting non-fiction books, gathering references, resources, and newspaper clippings from various online archives. But I didn't begin drafting the book until late 2022.
What captured your attention about the trial?
I can’t say it surprised me on the surface; it was an interracial marriage that didn’t then fit society’s version of the way people should love or live. But when I dug into the newspaper archives, I found that the differences between Black newspapers’ and white-owned press coverage gave me contrasting perspectives. My research also included reading student dissertations from the 1960s, a period of change in America. Scholarly research and publications examined everything from ‘passing’ to societal class issues and racism—issues that dominated lifestyles in New York City in the 1920s and beyond.
I was struck by the strength and resilience of Alice Jones, Roberta Brooks, and Marvel Cunningham. Can you talk about these women shaping one another’s journeys?
Roberta Brooks is Alice Jones’s eldest sister’s daughter. In the 1940 timelines, I envisioned her as a young woman pursuing a career as a journalist. That timeline is told from Roberta’s point of view. In the 1920s and 1930s, however, Alice Jones is the point-of-view character.
Roberta and her aunt Alice are at odds at the story’s beginning. Alice hasn’t fully recovered from her face-off against judges, juries, and public opinion that made her name front-page news across the country fifteen years earlier. Roberta also has issues with Alice’s past.
In the 1920s, when Alice finally meets reporter Marvel Cunningham face to face, a challenging collaboration is forged. What begins as a mutually advantageous relationship develops into something else.
Historical fiction is having a moment. What is it about this genre that is alluring for readers and viewers?
It gives writers, be they scriptwriters, screenwriters, or novelists, an opportunity to share their interpretation of a piece of history. Of course, these stories can entertain and educate and come in many forms, such as historical fantasy, romance, dystopian, biographical, or science fiction. But whatever the sub-genre, writers bring history to life. I feature Black protagonists and focus on themes of love, family, resilience, and the complexities of identity. My work explores historical settings, rich cultural landscapes, and issues of race, class, and gender. I love retelling, reimagining, and being inspired by stories about people and events.
What are you working on now?
I have another book coming in 2025 with the working title Where the False Gods Dwell. It takes place in 1935. That was the year Katherine Dunham, the African American dancer, choreographer, and anthropology student, set out to the West Indies to study West African dance. However, the story begins in Chicago, and the novel focuses on three other women whose destinies collide during a hurricane that strikes Jamaica in October of that year. So, it’s historical fiction with a touch of mystery and, hopefully, a few thrills.
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A mixed-race woman from a working-class family marrying a high-born white man was a tabloid news scandal and the subject of societal backlash 100 years ago. Could this take place in the present day? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
