Somehow, Lone Women is a novel that fits in both the gritty realism and cozy fantasy categories. It starts out all grit as the heroine, Adelaide Henry, escapes her home with a trunk holding mysterious contents after setting fire to her family farm that holds the corpses of her parents. We go with her, step by step as she travels to set up a new life for herself in rural Montana. As a single black woman in 1915 USA trying to establish a new farm in winter, this is already a dangerous prospect, and that is a significant thread through this novel. But Adelaide has the added burden of the secrets she's carrying. At the same time, she's forming relationships with other members of the community she's joining, some of which become strong friendships as the overall goal for many is unity in survival. But that's not the goal of everyone.

I love how well Victor LaValle balances complicated values and morals with most people not being fully good or bad. The heroines and villains are given layered motivations that can make sense whether they're right or wrong. Adelaide has both heroic and dark moments. Some of those instances that might seem like an overreaction on her part -- such as being ready to kill a man for nearly damaging her trunk near the beginning -- make sense when further context is given, even if she isn't fully justified. 

While we see how dangerous and brutal it can be for women living alone in the lightly populated and harsh land, LaValle never goes as dark as he realistically could. The overarching message of the novel is a wholesome one. While truly terrible people deserve death, not everyone in the same group can be lumped together and those who may be considered monsters might actually be the true victims. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I will say that the pacing is slow and not every magical element is given an explanation. That may be off-putting to some.