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,Missyis a thoroughly exhilarating debut novel.
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 America's Wild West. New York Post
An adventure so hair-raising it makesDeadwoodlook 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
About this Guide
The following author biography and list of questions aboutMissyare intended as resources to aid individual readers and book groups who would like to learn more about the author and this book. We hope that this guide will l3¡