The Center for Fiction welcomed Victor LaValle (The Ballad of Black Tom, The Changeling, The Devil in Silver) for the release of Lone Women. Set in 1915, the novel follows Adelaide Henry fleeing to Montana to claim free land from the government with her forever-locked trunk–because when the trunk is opened, people around Adelaide start to disappear. The event featured a dramatic reading from Lone Women by multi-talented Broadway, television, and film actor Krystal Joy Brown (Hamilton). Following the performance, audience members had the opportunity to engage in question-based discussion with Victor LaValle about the craft of writing, the creation of rich worlds in the genre of horror, and Adelaide’s story.
Featured Book
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Lone Women
By Victor LaValle
Published by One World
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, California, 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.
Told in Victor LaValle’s signature style, blending historical fiction, shimmering prose, and inventive horror, Lone Women is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—and a portrait of early twentieth-century America like you’ve never seen.
Featuring
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Victor LaValle
Victor LaValle
Victor LaValle is the author of seven works of fiction: four novels, two novellas, and a collection of short stories. His novels have been included in best-of-the-year lists by the New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, the Nation, and Publishers Weekly, among others. He has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an American Book Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Key to Southeast Queens. He lives in the Bronx with his wife and kids and teaches at Columbia University.
Photo Credit: Teddy Wolff
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Krystal Joy Brown
Krystal Joy Brown
Krystal Joy Brown is a multi-talented Broadway favorite and television and film actress. She most recently worked on Merrily We Roll Along at New York Theatre Workshop as Gussie along with Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe. The piece is being directed by Olivier Award winner, Maria Friedman and is transferring to Broadway September 2023.
Krystal was recently seen starring as a recurring guest-star on the hit Starz series, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, season two. She also is a recurring guest star on the hit CBS series, The Equalizer, starring Queen Latifah. Her latest film work includes Girlfriendship, Writing Around the Christmas Tree, and One Royal Holiday. She has been seen in the Disney feature film Magic Camp (Disney+). She has guest-starred on NBC’s Law & Order: SUV, Hulu’s Deadbeat, ABC’s Castle, Disney’s Sydney to the Max.
With five Broadway shows under her belt, Hamilton (Eliza), Hair (Dionne/Abe Lincoln), Leap of Faith (Ornella), Big Fish (Josephine), and Motown (Diana Ross), her extensive theatrical background has led her to be a two-time Fred Astaire Award Nominee and work closely with some of the world’s top Oscar, Olivier, and TONY award-winning playwrights and creative teams. Krystal also voices the character of Netossa in the DreamWorks/Netflix animated series, She-Ra Princesses of Power, which is streaming all five seasons only on Netflix. She also voices Avery on Final Space.
She is an avid activist in mental health, wellness, and social justice. During her time with Hamilton, Krystal helped created Ham4Progress to use the brand and many talents of the company to push for change in our society and create a more equitable future.