Excerpt of retro twenties novel (3)
I believe the answer is:
new
'novel' is the definition.
(novel means new or fresh)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for new that I've seen before include "and 28 and 29: The 365th day" , "Unused or novel" , "Not existing before" , "Not previously used" , "Contemporary" .)