Week Nine: Lone Women
AUG. 9, 2023 • CAMP TOB WEEK NINE
Lone Women
first half discussion
Welcome to August at Camp ToB 2023—this month’s vibe is “Historical women in harsh lands,” and we’re starting things off with Lone Women by Victor LaValle.
And welcome also to Penelope (aka @pmad in the Commentariat), our Activity Leader for Lone Women!
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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.
Hello Penelope! Please introduce yourself to Camp, and then the floor is yours.
Penelope: Hello! I live and read on Long Island in New York, and I’ve been following ToB since Welcome to the Goon Squad won, so 2011. Perhaps controversially, I wasn’t a huge fan of Welcome to the Goon Squad, but I kept tuning into ToB each year because I love how subjective and flawed it is, and the conversations it sparks. I like to read literary fiction, and listen to nonfiction (audiobooks). Some of my favorite past ToB contenders have been The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Deacon King Kong, Exit West, The Sympathizer, The Underground Railroad, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, and The Sisters Brothers.
Part one of Lone Women has a lot going on: death, arson, racism, sexism, con-artists, sex, and a monster. Phew! It’s pretty action packed with imminent danger and possible bodily harm every chapter. Here are a few questions to get the conversation started:
Why did Adelaide not leave the trunk to burn with her parents in the house?
How does racism and sexism impact Adelaide’s journey to Montana?
During her journey, Adelaide realizes that if she is trying to make a new life for herself, she should have changed her name. Why do you think she continues to use her real name considering she views herself as a fugitive?
What do you think Adelaide’s curse, monster, burden is?
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