BOOK REVIEW: Traces: A Novel by Patricia L. Hudson

Traces: A Novel by Patricia L. Hudson is a new historical novel that tells the story of the early settling of frontier Kentucky through the eyes of Rebecca Boone (wife of Daniel) and their two eldest daughters, Suzannah and Jemima. 

The novel beautifully combines the excitement of usual pioneer adventure narratives with a more psychologically complex story incorporating the trauma of long separations, hardscrabble living, nearly constant fear, and the physical exhaustion of childbearing and child-rearing under conditions that are impossible for modern-day readers to fathom. In Jemima’s case, it also includes the terrifying experience of being kidnapped by a small band of Cherokee and Shawnee scouts.

Daniel Boone has been immortalized as a trailblazer, early settler, and Indian-fighter in the way that “heroic men” tales have always been told. I learned about him as a legend, someone who didn’t quite seem real. His wife and children, if mentioned at all, were afterthoughts, just along for the ride. In this novel, Hudson places these women, particularly Rebecca, at the center of the narrative, which makes for a much more interesting story with greater emotional depth. Rebecca did not choose her husband’s lifestyle; she was not stricken with his wanderlust; and yet, she had to endure the same dangers. In addition, she had to bear being the subject of malicious gossip when accused of having an affair with her brother-in-law during one of Daniel’s lengthy absences.

It’s impossible to truly know what went on in the minds and hearts of these women, but Hudson does a wonderful job of creating believable characters that elicit our admiration and sympathy.

This is truly a fine book. Still, it’s difficult to read a somewhat old-fashioned tale of “settlers vs. Indians” without being aware that the settlers were stealing land that wasn’t theirs and massacring the native population. Hudson offers a nuanced view of the native people and tries to put some of that nuanced viewpoint into the heads of the characters. Nevertheless, as a reader, I’m left with an admiration for the resilience and courage of the pioneers, but an uncomfortable ambivalence about their accomplishments.