It was interesting reading Whiskey When We’re Dry in relatively close proximity to Outlawed by Anna North. Outlawed is an amazing speculative Western that really shakes up the Western genre by tackling the patriarchy, gender roles/identity, race, religion, fertility, and medicine in a unique way. The protagonist is irresistible: a no-nonsense, determined heroine, who has the gumption to teach herself medicine from old textbooks. The voice here is unique and fresh. What is most captivating about Outlawed is the refreshing amount of LGBTQ+ representation.
In contrast, Whiskey When We’re Dry by John Larison is more of a typical western novel with the exception of being written in a unique and unforgettable woman’s point of view. That said, The woman, Jessilyn Harney, finds herself orphaned at age seventeen. Desperate to salvage her situation, she chops off her hair, binds her breasts, and enters the world as a man named Jesse Harney. She leaves the family homestead to search for her outlaw brother. Like Outlawed, Whiskey When We’re Dry deals with the legends of the American West and the gangs of outlaws like Billy the Kid and the Doolin-Dalton gang. Also like Outlawed, Whiskey touches on gender roles/identity, race, and religion. Jesse becomes a sharpshooter and works for the state governor while searching for her brother. There are mentions in passing of homosexuality and Jesse herself seems asexual.
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Whiskey When We’re Dry is available through Amazon.
Outlawed is available through Amazon and B&N.
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