Not only is the horror-Western subgenre one of the most difficult themes to write, due to its reliance on oft-dragged-out period-piece lore and the need for accurate historical intricacies, but its entries also consistently struggle to separate themselves from overdone, tropey Wild West shoot-’em-up storylines. The Western genre in general is extremely male-dominated, both in its authors and in its characters, despite a few fantastic women-led stories, like Joe Lansdale’s Sunset and Sawdust or Charles Portis’ classic True Grit. Segmenting the genre even more by adding horror to the mix usually brings even less diversity to the table. However, Lauren Lee Smith gave the subgenre something it desperately needed with her debut novel, The Night Pool: a woman’s touch.
Having grown up near the now-ghost-town city of Coloma, California, I’m not sure that there could have been a better person to chronicle the city’s history for this story than Smith. One of the first rules of writing is to “write what you know,” and Smith’s attention to historical detail while weaving an engaging and horrific fictional tale is as close to flawless as possible for a debut novelist.
The Night Pool Captures the Horrors of Humans and Monsters Alike
The Night Pool follows the perspective of two women in the Gold Rush West: Clara, the white daughter of the newly hired town blacksmith who intends to find her place in the world, and Haloke, a Nisenan native granddaughter of her village’s shaman, hellbent on avenging the murder of her young brother. Although dangerous for them to be around one another, the two meet in unfortunate circumstances as they witness the “town beauty,” Clementine, endure the horrors of the supernatural.
Within days, bodies of local miners start to appear, with their hearts ripped from their chests and their entrails hung from the trees. Smith doesn’t just do a wonderful job of painting a gory, grisly tale of terror and transformations; she brilliantly presents the everyday struggles of being a woman, especially during this time in our history, and the horrors they must endure at the hands and hearts of men, who seem to care about only one thing above all else: ownership.
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Smith’s themes range throughout the book, and not just in feminist social commentary. Themes of anti-colonialism, destruction of the environment, xenophobia, and familial grief and loss are peppered throughout the story. The commentary is poignant, varied, and layered, and her ability to weave these messages and pivot between them is beautiful.
There’s no lack of brutality in her writing, either. Don’t let the Western setting and historical accuracy trick you into thinking this book doesn’t sit firmly in the horror genre. Smith channels the likes of Stephen Graham Jones and Ania Ahlborn, and some sections are downright gruesome. There’s no shortage of bone-cracking, skin-ripping chaos in this one.
Don’t Let the Pacing Stop You from Taking on a Brilliant Debut
Like most historical fiction and Westerns, the pacing, especially in the front quarter of the book, takes a minute to get going. Mostly, that’s due to the early in-depth character development and general vibe of the book. We’re all used to living in an instant, fast-paced world, and this book is diving into a time and place where everyone walks to get where they’re going, and the most interesting thing of the day could be a bath at the local brothel.
Once Clara and Haloke meet one another, the story picks up nicely and doesn’t slow down until the end. I can see why an almost-400-page book can be daunting, especially if it takes a minute to get going, but trust me, this is one you’ll want to stick around for.
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I think the only thing that felt slightly out of place for me was semi-regular attempts at a romance for Clara. Some of the moments felt a little shoehorned in and dissonant with her character and Smith’s general writing style. It almost felt like sections of some unnamed popular “romantasy” series were creeping in, but Smith squashed them before it ever went too far or overtook the main story.
Overall, I’m so glad I took this novel on for review. I was hesitant, just because of my deep love for the genre mix and the lack of quality that often comes with it, both in books and movies. Lauren Lee Smith understood the assignment, and she delivered a hell of a debut. I can’t wait to see where her horror literary career goes from here.
The Night Pool is published by Blackstone Publishing, Inc. and is now available at all major book retailers.
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