Letters of a Dakota Divorcee

In Short

This epistolary novel follows a sophisticated New York socialite who travels to Sioux Falls to secure a divorce during the turn of the 20th century, when the city was a notorious haven for "divorce colonies." Through a series of candid, witty letters to a close friend, she documents her transition from a jaded wife to an independent woman finding love, motherhood, and eventual tragedy in the West. It remains a sharp, melancholic look at the intersection of rigid social conventions, the search for personal freedom, and the haunting persistence of past attachments.

The Story

The protagonist, Marianne, arrives in Sioux Falls with the singular, secret goal of ending her marriage. As she navigates the boarding-house life, she finds herself surrounded by other restless, transitory figures—some genuine, some masquerading as something they are not. She maintains a veneer of "demure" behavior for the benefit of the local judge while privately mocking the stifling gossip of the town and the indignities of boarding-house meals. Her life takes a turn when she meets Carlton Somerville, a fellow New York transplant and Wall Street broker who is also marking time until his legal freedom.

Their connection is electric and immediate. Despite her initial cynicism about the nature of men, Marianne finds herself drawn into an intense, all-consuming affair with Carlton. They spend their days exploring the rugged, snow-draped beauty of the Black Hills and their nights in a shared, frantic pursuit of happiness. When her decree is finally granted, Marianne is a "full-fledged citizen of South Dakota," but rather than returning to the life she left behind, she stays with Carlton. They build a life of quiet isolation, eventually welcoming a son into their world—a child who seems to anchor Marianne, grounding her flighty, high-strung spirit in the reality of motherhood.

The arc of their happiness is sharp and finite. Disaster strikes when a car accident claims the life of both Carlton and the loyal Indian man who had become their guide and helper, leaving Marianne a widow with a young son. The tragedy breaks her, forcing her to confront her own culpability in the life she chose. Later, a former flame named Donald reappears, attempting to bridge the distance between them. Marianne waits for him in a secluded bower, testing the possibility of a new beginning, but the past proves too heavy to easily discard. In the end, she chooses to burn her "palace of dreams" to the ground, leaving the Black Hills to protect her memories from profanation. She departs for a new future, determined to build a life worthy of her son’s respect, even as she accepts that the vibrant, reckless happiness she once knew is gone forever.

How It Unfolds

The arrival Marianne settles into the grim reality of a boarding house, observing the eccentric characters around her while meticulously waiting out the legal residency required for her divorce. She keeps her true purpose hidden from the locals, perfecting the art of keeping still and playing the diplomat.

The blooming affair Her boredom is shattered when she meets Carlton Somerville, a man who matches her own restless energy. Their friendship quickly deepens into a profound, secret romance that defines her time in the West.

A new life With her divorce finalized, Marianne abandons her plans to return to New York. She settles into the Black Hills with Carlton, finding a sense of belonging she never knew, which culminates in the birth of their son.

The sudden collapse A tragic automobile accident destroys their fragile, perfect life, leaving Marianne alone with her infant. The grief forces her to re-examine her choices and the ghosts of her past.

The final reckoning Marianne encounters a former lover, Donald, but finds that time has changed them both. She ultimately decides to destroy her home to preserve the sanctity of her memories, departing with her son to begin anew.

The People

Marianne is the heart of the story, a woman who is both deeply cynical and fiercely capable of passion. She struggles with the weight of her past but finds a "glad unrestraint" in her new life. She is ultimately transformed by the loss of her lover and the responsibility of raising her son.

Carlton Somerville is a Wall Street broker who serves as Marianne's partner in both crime and romance. He is deeply affectionate and trapped by his own history, yet he provides the sanctuary Marianne craves. His death acts as the catalyst for her final, somber maturation.

Donald represents the life Marianne left behind. He returns to her after the tragedy, hoping for a reconciliation, but he discovers that the woman who left New York is no longer the woman who stands before him.

Tokacon is the "bronze boy" or guide who remains a constant, silent presence. His devotion to Marianne and her family is absolute, and his grief mirrors her own, highlighting the depth of the void left by Carlton's passing.

In Its Own Voice

"The way she juggles food would get her a job in the vaudeville game any day."

Marianne describes the coarse, unrefined behavior of a fellow boarder at the hotel.

"I have bought a calendar with the dates on a block of pages--one page for each day, just for the joy of tearing them off with a vim every twenty-four hours."

She reveals the restless, impatient nature of her existence while waiting for her divorce to be finalized.

"Dreams are harder to give up than realities, because they come back and gibe us even after they are dead and buried, while tangible realities stay fairly well hidden when we screw down the lid."

Marianne reflects on the enduring power of her dashed illusions after looking at her old wedding veil.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an examination of the "Divorcee" as a social pariah and a seeker of autonomy. It questions the price of personal freedom in a society that demands a woman’s identity be tied to her marriage. The argument here is not a political one, but a deeply personal one: can a woman create a life of her own design, or is she destined to be crushed by the "revengeful" nature of a world that fears happy, unattached women? It explores the tension between the desire for genuine, raw emotion and the societal pressure to maintain a performative, respectable existence.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the sharp, ironic wit of early 20th-century social commentary will find much to admire here. Marianne’s voice is remarkably modern—she is self-deprecating, unapologetically intellectual, and prone to sudden, poetic shifts in mood. It feels like stepping into a private, feverish diary, capturing the specific, claustrophobic atmosphere of a town built on legal loopholes.

The book is not without its difficulties. The prose is densely layered with period-specific slang and cultural references that might require a little patience. Furthermore, the attitudes toward the local Indigenous population and the romanticization of "bronze boys" are clearly products of their time, reflecting a colonial gaze that a contemporary reader will need to navigate. However, the emotional core—the visceral struggle of a woman trying to find her place in a world that refuses to let her be—remains strikingly relevant. You will likely stay for the vivid, often heartbreaking descriptions of the Black Hills and the haunting way Marianne describes the ashes of her own life. It is an honest, unvarnished look at the transition from a life built on expectations to a life built on one’s own terms.