Veal

“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.

Author Biography

Mackenzie Nolan was born and raised in Newfoundland. Working professionally as a social worker for several years, she found herself better suited to writing interpersonal dynamics, rather than solving them. She lives in St. John’s, NL. Veal is her debut novel.