Week 10: Lone Women
AUG. 16, 2023 • CAMP TOB WEEK 10
Lone Women
second half discussion
We’re now halfway through our Camp ToB August vibe—“historical women in harsh lands”—and this week’s discussion is centered on the conclusion (and really the entirety) of Lone Women by Victor LaValle.
Now it’s once again over to Penelope (@pmad in the Commentariat), our Lone Women Activity Leader!
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Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk is opened, people around her start to disappear. The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, and forced her to flee her hometown of Redondo, Calif., in a hellfire rush, ready to make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will be one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can cultivate it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing keeping her alive.
This has been excerpted from the publisher’s summary and edited for length.
Penelope: Now that we’ve arrived at the end we can finally talk about Lone Women as a whole, and there is a lot to discuss:
My ideas about what the curse/demon/monster was changed a lot over the course of the book. We now know this being is Adelaide’s sister and is a dragon, and that Jerrine Reed had also given birth to a similar type of baby, which her husband killed. Since the author had a white woman and a Black woman give birth to dragons, it seems that it isn’t connected to feelings or ideas about race. What do you think the dragon symbolizes? Why a dragon?
There are a variety of different types of women portrayed in this book—Adelaide, Mrs. Mudge, Grace, Jerrine Reed, Bertie, Fiona, Eleanor, Elizabeth, and we find out that Sam is female. Why do you think the author felt the book needed such a diverse group of female characters? Did it make sense in this context or did it feel like he was trying to check a lot of boxes?
On page 153, Adelaide says that she told Grace and Same “the complete truth.” Grace’s reaction was “there’s no such thing as demons.” Therefore, what Adelaide tells Grace and Same on page 153 is different than on page 205, which is when she tells Fiona, Bertie, Grace, and Sam that the demon is her sister Elizabeth. Do we see Adelaide’s internal struggle and finally admit that this is her sister? Or is this simply a device the author uses to prolong the suspense and tension?
The narrative style of the last chapter is different than the rest of the book. Why do you think that is? Did it work for you?
Do you think the author should write a sequel? If so, what parts of the story would you want him to continue?
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