Really good storytelling! The ending was too glossed over to make it a solid 4 star read for me, but the journey there was nailbiting. This story stayed in my head during every break. Not quite 4 stars but more than 3.5.
Sometimes You Create the Monster
I was unprepared. I picked up the book at the last minute, sadly unfamiliar with the author, but there had been some positive feedback floating around. It came with the horror label attached and I was frankly a little worn out with some recent over-the-top experiences in the genre.
"Wanna fly, you got to give up the **** that weighs you down."Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
"Lone Women" opens in 1915 with Adelaide burning down her house-- along with the corpses of her mother and father. She is a black woman headed alone into the badlands of Montana, aiming to homestead on a piece of property just outside the remote town of Big Sandy. The only thing she is taking with her is a large, heavy trunk-- a thing of secrets.
Early on I almost forgot the horror tag. Adelaide is such a compelling figure in a challenging situation there seemed no need to rely on the crutch of a Michael Myers or Freddie Krueger monster. Little by little things start to change, however, and the secret burden Adelaide has been bearing her whole life is uncovered. We are finding monsters-- old and new.
She runs across other lone women, women forging lives against the odds in a harsh male-dominated existence, and-- although her life has been starkly isolated-- she cannot resist the urge to confide in her new companions. These women are not the characters you read about when dusting off journals of our wild wild west. "But that's only because history is simple. And the past? The past is complicated."
The author, Victor LaValle, won the Shirley Jackson Award for best novella a few years back. The tone here is reminiscent of atmospheres Shirley Jackson conjured up, vibrations steadily increasing the feeling something is terribly wrong in this world. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful mix of historical fiction, western folklore, and... horror.
Sometimes you create the monster.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was unprepared. I picked up the book at the last minute, sadly unfamiliar with the author, but there had been some positive feedback floating around. It came with the horror label attached and I was frankly a little worn out with some recent over-the-top experiences in the genre.
"Wanna fly, you got to give up the **** that weighs you down."Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
"Lone Women" opens in 1915 with Adelaide burning down her house-- along with the corpses of her mother and father. She is a black woman headed alone into the badlands of Montana, aiming to homestead on a piece of property just outside the remote town of Big Sandy. The only thing she is taking with her is a large, heavy trunk-- a thing of secrets.
Early on I almost forgot the horror tag. Adelaide is such a compelling figure in a challenging situation there seemed no need to rely on the crutch of a Michael Myers or Freddie Krueger monster. Little by little things start to change, however, and the secret burden Adelaide has been bearing her whole life is uncovered. We are finding monsters-- old and new.
She runs across other lone women, women forging lives against the odds in a harsh male-dominated existence, and-- although her life has been starkly isolated-- she cannot resist the urge to confide in her new companions. These women are not the characters you read about when dusting off journals of our wild wild west. "But that's only because history is simple. And the past? The past is complicated."
The author, Victor LaValle, won the Shirley Jackson Award for best novella a few years back. The tone here is reminiscent of atmospheres Shirley Jackson conjured up, vibrations steadily increasing the feeling something is terribly wrong in this world. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful mix of historical fiction, western folklore, and... horror.
Sometimes you create the monster.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Set in 1915 - homesteading in Montana. A young black woman is fleeing her past and hopes to establish a new life where she is unknown. But her "secret sin" follows her and changes forever the small town where she lands. Definitely a different read for me - but a good one - just bring your imagination!
