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A review by tigger89
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you don't already know the details of what this is about, do yourself a favor and don't read too many reviews. I'm going to do my best to keep it vague here, but some of the others I've seen have been careless. This is definitely one of those books that benefits from the reader not knowing what to anticipate. All you really need to know about the plot is that this book is about family, secrets, and community.
I loved the way the novel approached the themes of family, both born and found. I also loved the atmosphere and historical context of this book. I had no idea that lone women were a real thing that had happened in US history, let alone that the opportunity had been available to Black women! The novel acknowledges, but doesn't spend much time grappling with, the colonization taking place. If there's anywhere it falls short it's in that respect. The ending rings a bit hollow when you remember that it's taking place not just on stolen land but on newly stolen land, with homesteaders who took direct advantage of the theft. I feel like if the author was going to bring it up then it needed to be better resolved, rather than just left hanging with a "well it is what it is."
Horror elements, while present, are fairly light. I was never afraid while reading this. There's some bloody scenes, along the lines of Carrie in terms of content, though written far less viscerally than King's style. Check content warnings or sample chapters if you're concerned.
Does the horse die? There are many horses owned by a variety of characters, including the protagonist.Several background character horses die over the course of the story. The protagonist's horse is the only horse we get to know that dies.
I loved the way the novel approached the themes of family, both born and found. I also loved the atmosphere and historical context of this book. I had no idea that lone women were a real thing that had happened in US history, let alone that the opportunity had been available to Black women! The novel acknowledges, but doesn't spend much time grappling with, the colonization taking place. If there's anywhere it falls short it's in that respect. The ending rings a bit hollow when you remember that it's taking place not just on stolen land but on newly stolen land, with homesteaders who took direct advantage of the theft. I feel like if the author was going to bring it up then it needed to be better resolved, rather than just left hanging with a "well it is what it is."
Horror elements, while present, are fairly light. I was never afraid while reading this. There's some bloody scenes, along the lines of Carrie in terms of content, though written far less viscerally than King's style. Check content warnings or sample chapters if you're concerned.
Does the horse die? There are many horses owned by a variety of characters, including the protagonist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Blood, Deadnaming, Outing, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
There are multiple scenes involving vigilante justice with parallels drawn to lynch mobs.