Synopses & Reviews
When Dol McQueen is given some valuable stolen goods to stash, the nineteen-year-old prostitute and opium user grabs the chance to start a new life and takes off with the loot--and all hell in pursuit. Her flight through the western wilderness of 1860s America is beset by mule thieves, salt flats, halfsavage kids, and her own addiction. But she is driven forward on this mad odyssey by a desperate need to save her mother from self destruction. A very modern heroine, Dol McQueen is a captivating narrator who tells her shattering story with immense comic verve and an irresistible frankness.
A poetic, emotionally potent story about women, men, drugs, and the American West, Missy is a thoroughly exhilarating debut novel.
Review
"Triumphant."--
San Francisco Chronicle "An adventure so hair-raising it makes Deadwood look positively staid in comparison. There hasn't been a fictional character this appealing and outrageous in a long, long time."--Entertainment Weekly
"A wonderful tale of Americas Wild West."--New York Post
Review
"Triumphant . . . Dol McQueen's story, and her near-perfect way of telling it, will last long after she's shoved off."--
San Francisco Chronicle "A wonderful tale of Americas Wild West."--New York Post
"An adventure so hair-raising it makes Deadwood look positively staid in comparison. There hasn't been a fictional character this appealing and outrageous in a long, long time."--Entertainment Weekly
"Spirited storytelling, with a heroine who has such a disarming way with words it's easy to listen for hours . . . Her voice is fast, fierce, and wonderfully descriptive."--The Arizona Republic
"From the gorgeously sassy opening, it is surprising how winning, how powerful, the voice of Dol McQueen actually is. . . . Hannan has traversed the limits of history and given us a thoroughly modern woman, too."--The Independent (UK)
"Chris Hannan's rowdy riot of a deubt novel . . . is a blast."--The Seattle Times
Synopsis
This wildly entertaining first novel from Scottish playwright Hannan takes place in the down-and-dirty Wild West and features 19-year-old Dol McQueen as an unlikely heroine--an intelligent, strong-willed hooker with a weakness for liquid opium, or "missy."
About the Author
CHRIS HANNAN is the author of several award-winning plays. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is his first novel.
Reading Group Guide
Discussion Questions
1. At the beginning of the story, Dol seems content with her life as a prostitute. In her opinion, to leave the fast life and find a husband would constitute selling-out. Why is Dol so attached to this life? Is she in denial? What about her lifestyle perhaps provides greater satisfaction than marriage and settling down?
2. Dols mother neglected her and treated her with contempt. Yet Dol still seems bent on saving her at all costs, sacrificing both her friends and herself. Why is her mother so all-important to her?
3. How is Hannans portrayal of the west different from other films and books you may have experienced? Does the west retain any of its adventurous qualities in this story? Does Hannans old west seem like a place you could ever want to visit?
4. What kind of a person is Pontius? Is he driven only by greed? What makes his character different from the other characters in the story?
5. Describe Dols voice, what are its qualities? She uses many period turns of phrase what are some of your favorites? What is the tone of her voice, and how do you think Hannan accomplish her peculiar balance of exuberance and melancholy?
6. Why does Sadie have such a soft spot for Cordelia? Is she the only one of the girls capable of sympathy? Does her relationship to Cordelia tell us anything about her suicide? How is her devotion to Cordelia different from Dols devotion to her mother?
7. When Dol discovers that her mother was not from a good family in Scotland, but rather worked as a maid, does this revelation in some way explain her mothers character? Does it fuel Dols desire to help her mother, or merely inspire pity in her?
8. How is being an alcoholic or a drug addict in the old west different than being an addict in modern times? At a time when there was no Alcoholics Anonymous and no drug treatment centers, was there any avenue of recovery?
9. How are Native Americans portrayed in this book? Do the settlers have any understanding of their plight?
10. Why do you think that Dols mother is unable to change? Is she simply too proud to see herself for what she is? How is Dol ultimately similar to her mother? Why is she able to quit opium and make a fresh start while her mother is not?
11. Do you think Dol went into the woods with her mother knowing that she might kill her? Why would she want to kill her mother? Was it because she wasnt able to save her, or because she wasnt able to make her mother love her?
12. Why does Cordelia decide to give Dol a chance in spite of all the terrible things she had done? Why wouldnt Cordelia simply escape from her and start a new life with decent people? In what ways are Cordelia and Dol similar?
13. What do you think is going to happen to Dol now? Will she go back to her old life as a prostitute and opium addict? How might Dols final break with her mother have changed her outlook on life?