I have to say that, so far, every book by Victor LaValle started off as either "meh" or "eh" for me, but he always turns them around until I love them. This time, though, he's writing about Weird West, with women, and he centres the story around an interesting but unknown fact from real history, real HERstory.
So that is all the things combined that I love.
I loved it from the start. This is the highlight of my reading year.

LaValle shrugs off the usual cowboy heroes and instead focuses on the outcast, the lost and the desperate. He puts them in a harsh and unforgiving world that feels very alive, and he gives them hope. In his story, they find community, receive some much-needed attention and get the respect they deserve.

The characters were super interesting. I found them fascinating: their stubbornness, their pragmatism, their mutual support. The mystery surrounding the trunk was skilfully crafted, building tension until its revelation. The ending, once again, is kind of hilarious, yet oddly fitting (a sentiment I experienced in The Changeling, too).