Brianna Labuskes explores union politics, gender and power dynamics, and the role of artists in society in her sweeping third historical novel, The Boxcar Librarian. Through the lives of three determined women whose paths cross in Montana during the Great Depression, Labuskes (The Librarian of Burned Books) examines the power of stories to move people, provide a balm for losses, and inspire a new way of living.
Labuskes begins her narrative in 1936 with Millie Lang, who travels to Montana to unravel a mystery: the Federal Writers Project's Missoula staff submitted a box of blank forms and near-gibberish essays for the FWP's series of U.S. travel guides. Twelve years earlier, in 1924, Alice Monroe creates a library housed in a train boxcar to deliver books to workers and their families in Montana's far-flung mining camps. Colette Durand, who spent her life listening to her miner father, Claude, quote Shakespeare and fight for his fellow miners' rights, applies for the librarian position. She convinces Alice to come along on the boxcar library's inaugural journey, which brings life-changing events for both women.
In 1936, Millie is eager to recover the missing travel guide material. As she travels around Montana with her coworkers, Millie uncovers long-buried secrets related not only to Alice and Colette's stint as librarians, but to the work of unions and to Claude Durand's murder.
Labuskes paints a dynamic portrait of a rough-and-tumble Montana, but her focus is on individuals. With engaging characters and a layered plot that combines political events, personal journeys, and a love of literature, The Boxcar Librarian is a treat for history fans and book lovers. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams