Chapter 70: Other Titles — Summary & Analysis
Full chapter summary | Key events | Character development | Themes, symbols, or motifs | Why this chapter matters | Study questions
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Chapter 70, titled “Other Titles,” contains no narrative prose. It is a clean, itemized listing of Victor LaValle’s published books. The works are grouped by format: Fiction (including Lone Women itself), Novellas, a Short Story Collection, and Graphic Novel Series. Each entry is a standalone bibliographic notice — a factual inventory that bridges the end of the story and the reader’s potential next encounter with the author.
Key Events
- The chapter presents a complete bibliography of Victor LaValle’s writing at the time of Lone Women’s publication.
- The list includes novels such as The Ecstatic, Big Machine, The Devil in Silver, and The Changeling.
- Novellas The Ballad of Black Tom and Lucretia and the Kroons appear.
- The short story collection Slapboxing with Jesus is noted.
- Two graphic novel series — Victor LaValle’s Destroyer and Eve — are included.
- The book’s own title, Lone Women, is listed among the Fiction works, self-referentially anchoring it in the author’s oeuvre.
Character Development
No story characters appear in this chapter. It focuses entirely on the author’s body of work.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Bibliography as Paratext: The chapter functions as a traditional author bibliography, a paratextual element that shapes how the novel is received. By placing it as a numbered chapter rather than a separate front/back matter page, LaValle elevates the list to a formal part of the reading experience.
- Self-Contextualization: Including Lone Women among the listed titles reminds the reader that the novel belongs to a wider literary project. It subtly reinforces that the story is a crafted artifact by a living author with a career.
- Conclusion and Continuity: The inventory provides a sense of closure while simultaneously opening a door to further reading. It transforms the ending from a final period into a crossroads.
Why This Chapter Matters
In a conventional novel, a bibliography sits unobtrusively on a copyright page or at the very back. By giving “Other Titles” its own chapter — and the final position in the book — LaValle makes a deliberate choice about how to release the reader. This chapter serves as a postscript that acknowledges the author-reader relationship: you have finished this story, and now you know where to find others. It also reinforces a theme present throughout Lone Women: the importance of records, catalogues, and the act of listing things that might otherwise be lost. The chapter stands as the last piece of evidence that storytelling is both an individual act and part of a collective legacy.
Study Questions
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What is the function of chapter 70 in the structure of Lone Women? The chapter serves as a formal bibliography, cataloguing Victor LaValle’s other works. It concludes the novel by shifting focus from the fictional world to the author’s real-life literary output, bridging the narrative and the reader’s potential next reading choice.
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Why might the author include his own book title within the list of “Other Titles”? Including Lone Women among the other works situates the novel as a piece of a larger body of writing. It invites the reader to view the book not in isolation but as part of a career, and it may also signal confidence that the book deserves a place alongside his acclaimed earlier work.
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How does the chapter title “Other Titles” influence a reader’s interpretation of the ending? The title is literal and unadorned. It manages expectations — this is not a hidden epilogue or a final twist. It signals that what follows is informational, yet by making it a full chapter, the author asks readers to pause and acknowledge the conclusion before moving on. It is an understated but intentional final note.