Book Annotation: Western Fiction

Doc (2011)

By Mary Doria Russell

ISBN: 978-1-4000-6804-3 (Hardback)
           978-0-8129-8000-X (Paperback)
           081298000-X (Kindle)

Publisher: Random House, New York

Genre:  Western Fiction
             (also Literary Fiction)

Summary:  Diagnosed with tuberculosis and told that he might have only months to live, the well-mannered and classically-educated John Henry Holliday was advised to travel to the dry climate of the West.  In 1878, at the age of 26, he arrived in Dodge City, Kansas, a saloon-filled cow town on the open prairie.  Accompanied by Maria Katarina Harony, a high-strung Hungarian prostitute, "Doc" opened a dental practice.  But there was more money to be made in poker and faro games, and unfortunately, Doc possessed a talent for gambling.  When he made the acquaintance of grim-faced, straight-laced lawman Wyatt Earp and his brother, Morgan, a friendship was born that would eventually lead to a 30-second shootout in Tombstone, Arizona.  But Doc is the story of that first year in Dodge, and a man who was not yet famous.

Appeals:

·         Narrative tone matches John Henry Holliday’s genteel but witty Georgia drawl

·         Richly-detailed characters, many of whom will be familiar names to readers

·         Gorgeous prose

Aspects of the book which are characteristic of the Western Genre:

·         Exterior descriptions of landscape and terrain provide important context

·         Protagonist takes on the mantle of a legendary figure of the West

·         Plot action is straightforward, putting the emphasis on character

·         Leisurely pace, describing the details of one season in 1878

·         Dialog is rich in jargon and dialect, reflecting the backgrounds of various characters

Aspects of the book which are characteristic of the Literary Fiction Genre:

·        Attention is paid to prose style; words and sentences are lyrically arranged; a high school
English class could mine this book for examples of alliteration, consonance and parallelism

       (devices you forget about until you encounter them in such an appealing format!)

·         Characters are more important than storyline

·         Description is resonant and pacing is very gradual

Read Alikes:

·         The Last Kind Words Saloon by Larry McMurtry (due in May, 2014)

·         Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

·         Gunman’s Rhapsody by Robert B. Parker

·         The Branch and the Scaffold by Loren D. Estleman

·         O.K. by Paul West

Other Books by Mary Doria Russell:

·         The Sparrow, 1996 (Science Fiction)

·         Children of God, 1998 (Science Fiction)

·         A Thread of Grace, 2005 (Historical Fiction)

·         Dreamers of the Day, 2008 (Historical Fiction)

·         Epitaph, to be released Spring, 2015 (Sequel to Doc)

My Notes:  Although NoveList categorizes Doc as Western or Biographical Fiction, my own experience with it places it slightly more in the Literary Fiction Genre.  The subject matter is Western, but the language is especially rich and elegant.  My Historical Fiction book club met to discuss it today and they praised it as one of their favorite reads in nearly 10 years of discussions!  We had a lively session and passed around old photos of the major characters.  I even taught them how to play Faro!