The Unicorn Woman

Marking a dramatic new direction for Jones,a riveting tale set in the Post WWII Southnarrated by a Black soldier who returns to Jim Crow and searches for a mythical ideal Set in the early 1950sthis latest novel from Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Gayl Jones follows the witty but perplexing army veteran Buddy Ray Guy as he embodies the fate of Black soldiers who returnnot in glorybut into their Jim Crow communities. A cook and tractor repairmanBuddy was known as Budweiser to his army pals because heΓÇÖs a wise guy. But underneath that surfacehe is a true self-educated intellectual and a classic seeker: looking for religionlooking for meaninglooking for love. As he moves around the southfrom his hometown of LexingtonKentuckyprimarilyto his second home of MemphisTennesseehe recalls his love affairs in post-war France and encounters with a variety of colorful characters and mythical prototypes: circus barkerstopiary trimmerslandladies who provide shelter and plenty of advice for their all-Black clienteleproto feministsand bigots. The lead among these characters isof courseThe Unicorn Womanwho existsbut mostly lives in BudΓÇÖs private mythology. Jones offers a richintriguing exploration of Black (and Indigenous) people in a time and place of frustrationdisappointmentand spiritual hope.