A Thin Bright Line

In an empowering and bold, though at times cursory, piece of fiction, Bledsoe (The Ice Cave) fashions a life for her aunt and namesake, Lucybelle Bledsoe, during one of the most significant periods in American history. Lucybelle, an independent and intelligent Arkansas native, leaves New York City for Chicago in the 1950s after being offered a job as the head of the editorial department for a lab, run by the Army Corps of Engineers, that studies Arctic ice cores to reveal “a story of earth’s climate... perfectly preserved, for thousands of years.” There, she faces an onslaught of problems as a result of her sexual identity and her presence as a woman at a workplace composed of male scientists. Racial tension arises with the introduction of Stella, a black, well-read, and charismatic photographer, with whom Lucybelle gets involved despite the disapproval of both society and peers. Considering today’s political and social climate, Bledsoe’s novel is more than relevant. She gives her readers refreshers on the violence that both the queer community and the black community faced and continue to face. Despite the sometimes flat tone, Bledsoe injects life and dimension through her often stunning dialogue. With heart and zest, the author depicts Lucybelle’s slice of life as both pleasant and harrowing. Agent: Reiko Davis, DeFiore and Company. (Oct.)