Lone Woman by Victor LaVelle
Victor LaValle is one of those writers who I have been
meaning to read for some time. I think I have one of his books that was
recommended to me years ago, but just never got around to reading. Black Tom
is another one that pops up on recommendations and sounds pretty strange.
However, I’m glad to have read Lone Women first. It’s a fascinating
story about family, identity, and history. It’s also a cool monster story that
takes place in the frontier land of Montana. Adelaide Henry is a women who
arrives in Montana with a heavy trunk and little else. We find that the trunk
contains an important part of herself that she gradually must learn more about.
I loved the anticipation of learning more about what is in the trunk and
eventually how Adelaide must deal with it. Furthermore, LaValle’s narrative
doesn’t only focus on Adelaide but other frontier women and the challenges they
faced in trying to settle a fierce and inhospitable land. LaValle’s book also
addresses racism and the discrimination that Adelaide faced as one of the only
Black women in town. In fact, one of the best parts of the novel is when she
meets with the bar owner, who is also Black, and has her hair done. It was a
great scene, lovingly described. This book progressed quickly, and I couldn’t
put it down at certain parts, wanting to find out more about what would happen
to Adelaide and her trunk, as well as her neighbors and the other residents of
the town. I appreciated that this book was part adventure, part monster story,
as well as the kind of transformative story where someone finds out more about
themselves and how to forge their own identity.
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