Veal
A Novel
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“The atmosphere is undeniably well crafted … Those who don't mind novels that are more vibes based than plot driven will find Nolan and exciting new voice.” — Publishers Weekly
Offering the atmosphere of Twin Peaks and the queer camaraderie of comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, Veal is a thrilling exploration of friendship, fear, and the thin line between justice and vengeance.
Delores “Lawrence” Franklin is a failed capitalist and a runaway headcase. Following a corporate meltdown, she moves to Mistaken Point, a small town known for two things: Mistaken Point University, where she and her best friend, Anastasia Lanes, are now enrolled, and the grisly murders of countless young women.
At her new part-time arcade job, Lawrence meets Francesca “Franky” Delores, gritty, off-putting, and chronically serious, as opposite to Lawrence as her name would suggest. Franky is convinced there is a monster on the loose, a Frankenstein creature born from hatred, responsible for the string of killings the town insists are solved.
Against the advice of Pippa, Franky's closest friend, Lawrence and Stasia join Franky in her sticky, summertime search for the yellow-eyed monster haunting their foggy seaside town between classes, shifts at the arcade, and eating popsicles by the pool. Motivated by her unquenchable attraction to Franky, Lawrence allows herself to be pulled in strange directions, trying to appease Franky’s mania. Through the trials of hunting a monster only some of them believe in, Pippa, Lawrence, Stasia, and Franky uncover a town's legacy of making women answer for men's violence—and the reliability of urban legends.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Four queer women hunt a monster that might not even exist in Nolan's clever but sometimes perplexing debut. After burning out in the corporate world, Delores "Lawrence" Franklin moves with her best friend, Stasia Lanes, to small-town Mistaken Point, which has recently become infamous for the gruesome murders of several young women. Lawrence lands a job at the local arcade, run by the brusque and mysterious Franklin "Franky" Delores, upon whom Lawrence develops an intense crush. Franky doesn't think the man in police custody actually committed the murders; she believes a literal monster is responsible. After experiencing terrors they can't explain, Lawrence and Stasia—along with Franky's dubious friend Pippa—join Franky in her quest to stop the monster. The moody story wends its desultory way through the summer before kicking into a surprisingly high gear in the final act. Weighty issues like systemic misogyny and domestic abuse are raised but mostly relegated to the background, and an ambiguous ending will leave some readers frustrated, but the atmosphere is undeniably well crafted. Those who don't mind novels that are more vibes based than plot driven will find Nolan an exciting new voice.
