Adelaide Henry has many secrets. Now she’s in serious trouble. One of her secrets killed her parents. She flees California in a rush and makes her way to Montana, carrying a large steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. She keeps the trunk locked at all times. This is because Adelaide keeps one of her secrets in the trunk, and every time the trunk opens, people around her tend to … disappear.
Taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it, Adelaide becomes one of the “lone women”. The terrible secret in her locked trunk could be the only thing in the world that will help Adelaide survive the harsh Montana territory.
Why we’re excited about this book:
Horror readers should be well-acquainted with the works of Victor LaValle. Hailing from Queens, New York, LaValle now calls Washington Heights home and teaches at Columbia University. Lavalle is the author of the novels The Ecstatic, The Devil in Silver, Big Machine, and The Changeling, the novellas Lucretia and the Kroons, and The Ballad of Black Tom, as well as his short story collection Slapboxing with Jesus and the comic books Destroyer and Eve. With his latest novel, LaValle presents a horrifying vision set in the unforgiving landscape of Montana, circa 1915. Vulture says: “LaValle’s vivid, three-dimensional characters are always a draw, and this fascinating cast is a real treat, plus he introduces lesser-known pieces of American history in a way that never feels didactic … Highly recommended for historical fiction readers just as much as die-hard horror fans.”, and in a starred review, Kirkus Reviews calls Lone Women “Beguiling … LaValle is prodigiously talented at playing with stylistic modes, and here he deftly combines Western, suspense, supernatural, and horror—his prose is unfussy and plainspoken, which makes it easier to seamlessly skate across genres. But LaValle’s fluidity when it comes to style is balanced by a focused thematic vision: Through Adelaide (and that steamer trunk), he explores isolation and division across race, within families, and through communities … [The] novel overall is a winning blend of brains and (occasionally violent) thrills … Acrobatic storytelling, both out there and down-home.”
Forthcoming from One World 28 March 2023, Lone Women by Victor LaValle is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA