Primarily, Laura is the abuse victim, as Beebo constantly gaslights her, physically overpowers her, and emotionally manipulates her. I think the most difficult part of this book is domestic abuse, both emotional and physical. Even with all of this in mind, I had a very difficult time reading Women in the Shadows. I think the discomfort is often worth the satisfaction of reading and developing a greater understanding of this fascinating part of lesbian literary history. I expect a certain amount of discomfort when I read lesbian pulp. I definitely don’t read lesbian pulp with any expectations for it to meet my contemporary ideas, and I think that’s okay. Some of the uncomfortable themes are also due to outdated social norms and ideas. By nature, pulp fiction is supposed to be sensational and shocking, and I think the effectiveness of the sensation and shock only grows larger as the years pass.
Ideas about sex and consent are very different, too. Some of the language used to talk about LGBTQ identities and people of color is jarring. When I read lesbian pulp, I always come across parts that are uncomfortable to read. These are also mentioned and briefly discussed in my review. Trigger warnings for this book include domestic abuse (physical and emotional), animal abuse, self-harm, and rape. When Laura finds herself attracted to Tris, another woman, things start spiraling out of control. Laura feels that she is falling out of love with Beebo, and Beebo is only holding on more tightly, which only pushes Laura further away.
Laura and Beebo are living together in Greenwich Village, and both are very unhappy.
Women in the Shadows picks up after the second book, I Am a Woman, and quite some time has passed. This review, by nature of being for the third book in a series, contains some spoilers for the first two books. Women in the Shadows is the third book in that series and by far the most difficult to read so far.
I’ve steadily been making way through the Beebo Brinker Chronicles, a classic lesbian pulp series by Ann Bannon, for quite some time.
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