Kate Horsley’s New Mexico Trilogy: Masks of Ambivalence in the Southwest

R o xa n n e Sw en tzell. S O M E O N E T O T A L K T O . 2001 . Clay. 10"w x 15"d x 18"h . C ou r tesy o f th e artist. W o r k s R e v i e w e d K at e H orsley. Craz y W om an . A lb u q u e rq u e, N .M e x .: La A lam e d a P ress, 1992. 2 3 9 p ages, $ 14 .00 . -------- . A Killing in N ew Tow n. A lb u q u e rq u e, N .M e x .: La A lam e d a P ress, 1996. 271 p ages, $14 .00 . -------- . Careless Lov e: O r the Lan d o f Prom ise. A lb u q u er q u e: U n iv e r sit y o f N e w M e xico P ress, 20 03 . 24 9 p ages, $ 23.95 . Ka t e Ho r s l e y ’s Ne w Me x ic o T r il o g y : Ma s k s o f A m b iv a l e n c e in t h e S o u t h w e s t D o n n R a w l i n g s D e sp it e a ll p r e c a u t io n s, fic t io n c o n t in u e s t o sh a p e o u r u n d e r st a n d in g . R u d im e n t a r y st o r ie s in sist e n t ly r e p e a t t h e m se lv e s in o u r liv e s. B u t w e m a y b e c o m p e lle d t o t u r n t o w ar d all t h o se m u t t e r in g, c h a o t ic v o ic e s t h a t p u sh a g a in st t h e fa m ilia r sh a p e o f t h e t a le . O ffic ia l st o r ie s r e d u n d a n t ly c o lo n iz e o u r e x p e r ie n c e , as it w e re , b u t so o n e r o r la t e r t h e b u r ie d life t a lk s b a c k — a n d w r it e s b a c k (A sh c r o ft , G r iffit h s, a n d T iffin , p a ssim ).* K a t e H o r sle y h a s a g o o d e a r fo r t h e v o ic e s t h a t t a lk b a c k . S h e h a s p r o d u c e d in t h e la st d e c a d e o r so t h r e e n o v e ls t h a t m a k e u p a c o h e r e n t t r ilo gy all se t in N e w M e x ic o : C raz y W om an , A K illin g in N e w T ow n , a n d C arele ss L o v e : O r the L an d o f Prom ise, a n d t h e p u b lic a t io n o f C arele ss L o v e p r o v id e s a n...