In the mid-1800s, disowned from the family farm in Missouri, young Billy travels west. He tries town life, river life, and Native American living. Finally, he adopts the free trapper lifestyle. He makes friends (of both genders and many nationalities) and enemies (namely thieves and a pedophile). He has lots of sex but falls in love with redheaded Rebecca, with whom he ventures to Yellowstone.
Beginning with Billy’s decision to leave the farm and the ensuing disinheritance, the book casts off convention. Billy cusses and lusts. He talks back to authority and fights when provoked. He refuses to settle down. And that’s even before he leaves home. Like its unorthodox and irreverent protagonist, the book’s format defies expectation. No parts or acts break up the book’s seven hundred pages, and the chapters flow as free as Billy’s impulses. Titles announce the themes of some chapters, but the rest are simply numbered.
The book is unencumbered by formality and predictability. Although Billy’s westwardness is the only plan, he and the book are not without direction. As Billy’s skills, work ethic, and charm dictate his path, the book is action-oriented. Scenery is a backdrop to a Wild West spirit the book conveys in accent-rich dialogue in confrontations, sex, and hunting expeditions that dominate the prose. Sex is not diversionary; rather, it fuels a self-made man’s narrative. The scenes are graphic, experimental, and primary to Billy’s modus operandi. Billy and his partners invite others to shed inhibitions and let desire call the shots. So, too, the pace is tireless, seeking excitement around every bend.
The story is propelled by the future, by an unknown yet to be discovered. Billy and his entourage kill many enemies, leaving the past in the dust. An imperative, driving tone is set by the dangers Billy faces and subdues, such as bears, bosses trying to subdue him, and warring tribes. The abounding threats on his travels develop Billy’s heroic personality. At first, the dangers are superficial: his angry father and his mistress’ angry father. Later, his life is on the line. He learns to load a gun while riding a horse and to skin and prepare animals for food, clothing, and trade. His skills sharpen, and his character also softens.
While he kills without hesitation when necessary, he looks back at one casualty with regret: a riverboat coworker with a sexual appetite for men. Practicing the sexual arts, Billy grows compassion for different orientations and fetishes. Another turnaround is that he and a former slave turn from foes to loyal friends. Billy’s compassion expands, but characters address each other with frequent racial slurs.
In his development, Billy also recognizes heroines. Rebecca develops from a self-proclaimed whore to a respected trapper in her own right. She impresses men at a rendezvous with a feminist speech she also lives out. She learns from a native American to imitate nature and find inner powers. They are a strong and admirable pair. Mid-book, Billy goes by “White Man.” This novel is not just his story, but a portrait of a pioneer for all ages, encompassing men, women, and diverse socio-economic strata. A sequel promises to continue an epic saga of living according to one’s own agenda and in harmony with the earth.
