Gunslinger Girl is the debut novel of Lyndsay Ely. It is the story of Serendipity Jones, commonly called Pity, as she tries to find herself in the relatively lawless Wild West. The thing is that it is not the Wild West we are familiar with as this is a new wild west that is based after a second civil war at an unspecified time in history. Pity grew up under a hard father on a government run farming commune but longs to escape before she ends up with an even harsher fate, specifically a forced marriage. With the help of a close friend she ends up escaping but they quickly run into trouble and things escalate from there. Pity ends up at the far ends of the continent, making use of the sharpshooter skills that were a legacy from her mother. That and the rather shiny six shooters. As she learns to navigate the rather lawless places she travels, Pity ends up having to make choices that will affect more than just her. In the process, Pity finally starts to discover what exactly it is that she wants from life.
This is another one of those books that I wasn’t originally planning to read but things happen. In this case, my mom was at a bookstore and saw the book and thought it would be interesting so brought it home and passed it on to me. I will admit that going in I was a little biased towards the book as it was published by the imprint, James Patterson Presents, which meant that it was probably going to be pretty good. That being said, I honestly thought the book was incredible. The entire thing is told from Pity’s perspective which allows the readers to really bond with her as she struggles with facing the consequences of her actions and dealing with the choices that are laid out in front of her. Sometimes those choices haunt her and we watch as she struggles with her conscience and tries her best to figure out a way to navigate her life and position without being put in certain situations that her conscience won’t let her do. Overall, I greatly liked the character and could really empathize with her struggle between feeling like she has to do something but desperately wanting to not do it. Added to that the world in which the story takes place is equally fascinating. Imagine a world in which a second civil war had rocked the United States and the country was still devastated by the aftermath two decades later, when Pity’s story takes place. It does touch on this a little bit when it talks about how this led to the society they live in now, where there is the part of the country still ruled by the government and part of the country has devolved into a new version of the wild west. I was curious about this though and would have liked to have more background provided on what led to the war and why Pity’s mother was fighting in it. Something that was woefully scarce throughout the story. This is understandable as the story takes place after the war but I was still curious about it. Overall, the story was great and well written though it was also a fast read so I am giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I would ultimately recommend this book but I also think that people should be aware of a few things before doing so. It is a western in many ways but it is a modern western. The feel of it is highly reminiscent of a lot of westerns but there are certain incongruities that might throw the reader off. Don’t expect to open this book and find horses and six-shooters everywhere. Pity’s guns are relatively outdated and nobody has a horse. In fact, most people travel around in ATVs or Jeeps or something similar that can handle the rough terrain fairly easily. As long as you keep that in mind than you should be fine. I would also recommend that you keep in mind that, like most westerns, there is violence in the story and there are several shootouts throughout the story. The violence is not gratuitous though as it serves to further the story line and to further the conflict within Pity while doing so. If this sounds like something that you would enjoy than I wholeheartedly recommend trying it. Even if this doesn’t sound like something you might enjoy, go ahead and try it anyway as you never know. Either way consider sharing your thoughts on the story in the comments if you have read the book. I look forward to hearing what you think.