Synopses & Reviews
Conceived in a moment of mad passion by a randy Irish priest and his temporary housekeeper -- and abandoned on a doorstep in a Rinso box as an infant -- her ladyship "Pussy" (né Patrick) Braden grew up fabulous and escaped tiny Tyreelin, Ireland, to start life anew in London. In blousy tops and satin miniskirts she plies her trade as a transvestite rent boy on Picadilly's Meat Rack, risking life and limb among the city's flotsam and jetsam. But it is the 1970s, and fear haunts the streets of London and Belfast -- and as radioactive history approaches critical mass, the coming explosion of violence and tragedy may well blow Pussy's fragile soul asunder.
Synopsis
Patrick -Pussy' Braden, resplendent in housecoat and headscarf, reclines in Kilburn, London, writing his story for his elusive psychiatrist, reawakening the truth behind his life and the chaos of long-ago days in a city filled with hatred. Twenty years ago he escaped his hometown, fleeing foster mother Whiskers and her mad household to begin a new life in London. There, in blousy tops and satin miniskirts, he plies his trade, often risking life and limb among the flotsam and jetsam that fill the bars of Piccadilly Circus. But suave businessmen and lonely old women are not the only dangers that threaten Pussy's existence. It is the 1970's and fear haunts the streets of London and Belfast as the critical mass of history builds and Pussy finds himself inevitably drawn into a malestrom of violence and tragedy destined to tear his fragile soul asunder.
About the Author
Patrick McCabe was born in Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland, in 1955. His other novels include The Butcher Boy, The Dead School, and Call Me the Breeze. With director Neil Jordan, he co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of The Butcher Boy.