The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

August 01, 2019

Kim Michele Richardson’s latest novel, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, is a labor of love and persistent fascination, her best to date. A historical novel steeped in Depression-era Appalachia and the author’s insider understanding of the region, the book illuminates the forgotten stories of Kentucky’s packhorse librarians and semi-mythic blue-skinned people.

Richardson’s prose rings with a love for her characters, their history and experience. The action focuses on Cussy Mary, the independent daughter of a coal miner, a mounted librarian and a “Blue.” When a disastrous, arranged marriage leaves her widowed at a young age, Cussy resumes her route, bringing donated books and handmade reading materials into the remote hills and hollers of eastern Kentucky, this time mounted on her late husband’s abused and suspicious mule, Junia.

As Cussy tells her story, a wealth of detail limns the cultural riches and harsh realities of the community she serves. Cussy braves both natural and human dangers: wildlife, treacherous mountain paths and punishing weather; superstition and bigotry, a moonshine operation, disease and grinding poverty. Junia proves to be a loyal and valuable asset; more than once she protects Cussy from disaster.

Proud of her ability to provide for herself and encouraged by her patrons’ eagerness to expand their horizons, Cussy forges on, experiencing the generosity of the hill folks in their willing contributions to the resources she creates and circulates, and in their offers of friendship, hospitality and homespun kindness.

There is much to consider in this evocative human story: the corrosive influence of prejudice, the ongoing struggle for justice and real progress in the hill country, the secrets the mountains conceal. But the immersive feel of Richardson’s work is rooted in her lyric, regional language, her careful selection of detail, and her creation of characters the reader takes to heart.

Cussy Mary’s first person narrative offers a view into her inner world: her vulnerability and longing, her hope and determination. Her unwavering commitment to her patrons and her Pa, and her gritty, practical kindness shine in her personal interactions. At home, in town or on the trail with her, the reader is stung by the cruelties she endures, cheered by her triumphs, and warmed by her fond relationships with kith and kin. It’s hard to believe Cussy Mary is a creation of the author’s imagination. At the end of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, we’ve made a friend.

Tags: review, Kim Michele Richardson, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, packhorse librarian, Great Depression, Appalachia, Kentucky