western annotation: the curse of jacob tracy

Author: Holly Messinger

Title: The Curse of Jacob Tracy

Genre: (Weird) Western 

Publication Date: December 1, 2015

Number of Pages: 308 pages

Geographical Setting: Primarily St. Louis, Missouri 

Time Period: 1880s 

Series: Jacob Tracy series

Plot Summary:  After nearly dying in the Civil War, former solider and seminary student Jacob Tracy finds himself suddenly able to see the dead. Eight years after this curse costs him the lives of his family, Trace and his partner Boz spend most of their time guiding wagon trains and picking up odd jobs, including one for Miss Sabine Fairweather, a mysterious intellectual who ends up knowing much more about Trace's abilities than she lets on. Although reluctant to join forces with her, Trace knows Miss Fairweather stands the best chance at helping him gain control over his unruly curse, something he's longed to do since the day he didn't die on the battlefield. Through a series of increasingly macabre situations across the American West, Trace hones his abilities and begins to find that perhaps his curse can be a blessing, too. 

Subject Headings: Blessing and cursing -- Fiction; Ghost stories; Historical Fiction; Fantasy Fiction; Saint Louis (Mo) -- History -- 19th Century -- Fiction

Appeal:

·       Tone: Atmospheric, offbeat, suspenseful, haunting

·       Characterization: In spite of the unreal supernatural events of the book, all the characters feel deeply authentic and believable. Trace is a guilt-ridden, noble-to-a-fault, reluctant hero. His Black best friend and partner, Boz, is a snarky, introspective, man-of-action. Together, they form a compelling, interracial duo, well balanced in their traits and candor. Their relationship forms the heart of the novel, two old friends who would do anything to protect each other but never hesitate to call the other out when necessary. Sabine Fairweather, Trace's would-be teacher and a mystery in her own right, is a looming presence, ailing but full of conviction, deeply powerful, and impossible to trust. Various side characters are equally fascinating: likeable, menacing, quirky, and mischievous, no matter how large or small their role. 

·       Storyline: Based around Trace and Boz's various jobs, this novel unfolds episodically, not unlike a monster-of-the-week television show. While there is an overarching plotline, the sections of the book are themselves fully formed stories. The book is plot-driven and action-packed, though there is a lot to be said of Messinger's richly-detailed world building in the moments of downtime. 

·       Language/style: Employing slang and jargon of the time while never going overboard, this novel is compelling, both in its treatment of Trace and Boz's witty banter and the engrossing descriptions of the horrors they face.

·       Setting: While Trace and Boz are based out of St. Louis, Missouri, they do spend a decent amount of time traveling to other locations around Missouri and via train and horseback across the West. Additionally, the final arc of the novel occurs in cities across Wyoming. 

·       Pacing: Fast-paced

·       Themes: Cursed!, creature feature, religious struggles, witchcraft and the occult, "chosen one," accepting/controlling one's powers, shadows of war

**Content Warnings: Body horror, gore, racism/racial slurs, drug use/abuse, death, torture, religious bigotry, grief, references to slavery**

3 terms that best describe this book:  Atmospheric, compelling, offbeat

Relevant fiction: 

·       Blood Riders – Michael P. Spradlin 

      Another weird western starring a Civil War veteran facing down supernatural horrors, Blood Riders teams up fictional and historical icons like Abraham Van Helsing, Allen Pinkerton, and Oliver Winchester to investigate a brutal murder of a group of Colorado miners. Gunfighting, spectacular showdowns, and a villain that's evil incarnate, if readers were fascinated by Curse's take on vampires in the Wild West, they'll enjoy this action-packed read.

·       Silver on the Road – Laura Anne Gilman 

      For anyone intrigued by Sabine Fairweather's enigmatic character, Silver on the Road may scratch the itch for a morally grey, strong female protagonist. Like Curse, it's an atmospheric, creepy, historical fantasy/weird western, but it greatly diverges on its personification of the devil. This novel follows saloon girl Izzy as she agrees to serve as the devil's Left Hand and begins her training in the "manipulations of human desire" and sows the seeds of magical chaos across the west. 

·       The Hunger – Alma Katsu 

      Taking the real life tragedy of the Donner Party and reimagining it as an ill-fated quest undone by supernatural horror, this novel matches Curse's weird western genre and also offers a compelling, creepy, and atmospheric writing style. While readers only got mentions of Trace's journeys via wagon train, The Hunger offers a possible depiction of the nightmares that could have ensued, exploring the intersection of fear, witchcraft, isolation, and the vast emptiness of the uncharted American west.

Relevant nonfiction:

·       Murder at the Mission – Blaine Harden

     Curse introduced a group of ill-fated Baptist missionaries who required Trace and Boz's help to journey across the west to their new homestead. For a closer look at another group of ill-fated missionaries, and the near-mythic impact their deaths had on the settling of the American West, try this nonfiction read. Seeking to demystify one of the "best-known stories" of Western history, journalist Harden delves into the deaths of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, their contentious relationship with and disregard for the Cayuse people, the missionary who co-opted and inflated the story for personal gain, and the lingering effects of this conflated tale.

·       Brave Hearted: The Women of the American West – Katie Hickman  

     With a few notable exceptions, women characters are not as present or explored in Curse as their male counterparts. Any reader seeking to fill this void and learn more about the little-known experiences of and contributions made by women to the settling of the west, this book is for you. Hickman draws on more than 800 diaries, letters, and personal memoirs to create this comprehensive, intersectional, and rich history of women on the frontier. 

·       The Reluctant Spiritualist – Nancy Rubin Stuart

      Spiritualism is a consistent presence throughout Trace's adventures, influencing his and Boz's beliefs and arising as a popular fad with the people they meet. This nonfiction book explores the life of Maggie Fox, cofounder of spiritualism. Highly readable and entertaining, the rise and fall of spiritualism is traced through Fox's life, detailing her travels, romances, and relationship with her sister, with whom she started the elaborate hoax. Stuart delves into the lasting legacy of this fascinating movement, and any reader interested in learning more about how it began will enjoy this read.