Book summary

Bill and Ninna Ogden have an ambiguous relationship: they're still married, but he runs the saloon in Cottonwood and lives upstairs, while his wife lives outside the town limits on a farm. Neither is a model of fidelity. Bill amuses himself with a string of dalliances, but what he really wants to do is head West and make a living as a photographer. It's not until after a few more affairs, a couple of murders, and a misguided plan by an entrepreneur to put the town on the map that Bill is able to escape, move to San Francisco, and create a new life for himself.

Media reviews

"The blazingly original Phillips writes with deadpan humor and incisive irony. The story is shaggy, but its unique slant on the Old West is a major achievement."