Subtexts Rebecca Roanhorse presents her debut novel, Trail of Lightning
The heroine of the Navajo Nation
Rebecca Roanhorse’s debut novel, Trail of Lightning (Saga Press), is set in a post-apocalyptic future, after the Big Water has flooded all earthly land masses that existed fewer than 4,500 feet above sea level. The Navajo reservation has survived, isolated in the mountains of what used to be Arizona and is now called Dinétah. Maggie Hoskie hunts monsters within the Dinétah community. When a monster kidnaps a girl, Maggie finds him and discovers an unexpected being. To vanquish it, she teams up with a medicine man named Kai Arviso, who doesn’t look the part and whom she at first hesitates to trust. Kai is from the Burque, a portion of New Mexico’s largest city that survived the Big Water. Many areas of the world are no longer accessible, water is in short supply on the mountaintops, and food is scarce and expensive. Though they continue to trade with the outside world, the Diné built a wall to keep out invading hordes, knowing they must be more prepared than they were long ago, when white men first arrived.
Roanhorse, who is from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, writes this page-turner with visceral clarity, whether she is describing a battle scene, providing a bit of history about the demise of the planet as we know it, or weaving authentic Diné ideas into her invented narrative. She also makes time for small moments, such as the pleasure of drinking a strong cup of coffee after years of tea made from yard weeds.
Rebecca Roanhorse signs copies of Trail of Lightning at a reception hosted by the Jean Cocteau Cinema (418 Montezuma Ave.). The launch party, discussion, and signing start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 26. Tickets are available for general admission at $10 or with a book purchase included (paperback $22; hardcover $28). For more information, visit holdmyticket.com.