October in the Earth - Olivia Hawker - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Olivia Hawker

GENRE: Historical Fiction

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A riveting historical fiction about two women who, for certain reasons, opt to become hobos and live life on the rails in the post-depression era. Liked the unusual perspective, even though the story become over-dramatic at times.

Story Synopsis:

1931. Kentucky.

Thirty-year-old Adella has been married to Irving since eight years. Irving is a reputed preacher in Harlan County, and Adella has been the dutiful wife in every way except one – she hasn’t borne Irving any kids, a fact that is creating a lot of stress in her and on their marriage. When Adella discovers that Irving has been cheating on her, she snaps. Packing just some essentials, she leaves her comfortable home behind, and hops onto a coal train passing through. Thus begins a new chapter in Adella’s life, but can a preacher’s wife who has known only comforts adapt to life on the rails? Bumping in Louisa during one rail journey turns out to be a stroke of luck as Louisa has been a hobo for longer than Adella. But even her training isn’t enough against the travail of the depression and its aftermath.

The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Adella.

Bookish Yays:

🚂 The initial section that depicts Adella’s life with Irving is quite distinct from the rest of the book as it is more focussed on Irving’s religious work in their community and Adella’s wife as a preacher’s wife. The brainwashing that women went through in those days, where even a husband’s infidelity is the wife’s fault, is clearly depicted. It’s a world where men are right, no matter what they do, so Adella’s decision to break free is a brave decision for her character. Her pre-hobo personality is established well through these chapters.

🚂 Louisa Trout, the woman who becomes Adella’s best friend on the rails and teaches her the ways of the hobos, is another stellar character. Strong in sprit though lithe in frame, she embodies the essence of grit and determination.

🚂 The friendship between Louisa and Adella is a great representation of how mutually beneficial female friendships can be. For a moment, I thought that the author would force in a lesbian angle to their relationship. Thankfully, though this direction is touched upon in one scene, it never moves ahead. (I am not against Sapphic relationships. I simply don’t want every single female friendship in fiction to turn Sapphic just because.)

🚂 I’ve never read any book about women living as hobos. I loved the little details that made their situation come alive, right from the train hopping to the daily quest for wages, to the unofficial hobo code. It was a very different and interesting look at the post-depression years in the USA.

🚂 There is a strong undercurrent of realism throughout the story, thanks to the insertion of historical events such as miners’ strikes and evangelical revival services to pray for the end of the depression in the initial section, and later, the impact of the depression on tenant farmers, hobos, and landowners. The author’s words capture the atmosphere of 1930s USA perfectly, right from the emotional despondency of the people to the dust and heat of the land.

🚂 Despite the intensity of this situation, the book is a comfortable read in terms of its writing. It isn’t bogged down by frivolous prose, though it doesn’t compromise on descriptions.

🚂 I loved the ending – not too happy, not too sad. Just right. Perfect for such a plot.

Bookish Nays:

☠ The story drags a little in the middle, as the women’s lives become quite repetitive. The plot feels slightly episodic at this point, with them going from one (mis)adventure to another.

☠ There are many convenient coincidences in the storyline. Some scenes are also needlessly dramatic.

☠ In the initial section, Adella often breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader. This is forgotten in the latter part of the book. I’d have preferred her narration to stick within the confines of the plot as her foreshadowing and personal comments didn’t work in favour of the story.

☠ Considering that Adella came from a small town and was fairly uneducated, some of her vocabulary was too highbrow for her background.

Bookish Confusion:

👀 I didn’t understand the significance of the title! It is mentioned in the book once, but there’s no context. Did anyone who read the book get what it indicates?

All in all, despite some issues, I liked this plot. I have never read such a story with women living the hobo lifestyle, so this experience was informative in many ways.

A compelling story for historical fiction readers.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “October in the Earth”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.