A Visit from the Goon Squad: Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

Dolly Peale, a PR woman, has taken a client named “The General,” who is a genocidal dictator—she has been hired to save his image. Her first effort in this regard involved taking pictures of him in a fuzzy blue hat with flaps that cover his ugly ears. The image appears in the New York Times, but this spurs rumors that The General has cancer, which creates further unrest among his people. The General’s advisors had forgotten to cut up the hat’s chinstraps, which appear to be tied in a bow under his chin in the image. Dolly panics and begins looking for contact information for The General’s human relations captain, named Arc. The General’s personnel are under the impression that Dolly, also know as La Doll, is a top PR consultant in New York.

Before she took the job, Dolly was copyediting textbooks until 2 am, sleeping until 5 am, and then doing English lessons online with students in Tokyo. She was attempting to keep her daughter, Lulu, in a private school. When Arc called to ask if she could recover The General’s image, she took the job for need of money. The high pay provided by The General allows her to look past the fact that he is a genocidal dictator.

Around 6 am, Arc calls and tells Dolly that they are not happy about the Times article. She tries to reason with Arc, telling him that he needs to cut the hat’s ties off, but Arc continues to say that The General is not happy. Arc reveals that he has heard rumors that Dolly is not a top PR consultant. Dolly says she has enemies, like the General. She tells them to retake the picture without the ties in a bow, and to show some of The General’s hair in front. As she speaks, Lulu comes into the room, and Dolly feels an inner collapse at the fact that Lulu has lost sleep. She hugs Lulu. Several weeks later, the new image is released, and the headline suggests that the extent of The General’s war crimes may be exaggerated.

Dolly met her ruin on New Years Eve, two years ago. Before this New Years Eve party she was known as La Doll, and threw exclusive and high profile parties. In an attempt to create the atmosphere for the New Years Eve party, Dolly hung translucent trays below the spotlights, and filled them with oil and water, believing the light shining through the water would create an impressive effect. By midnight, however, the trays began sagging, and then quickly they collapsed, spilling hot oil and water onto the famous guests. Later, people accused Dolly of doing it on purpose, and now everyone hates her. She served six months in jail, lost all of her money paying for settlements, and ruined her identity as La Doll. During this time, she comes to understand that her true error was holding onto an era that had already passed, which is a great mistake for a publicist.

After the positive review of The General, Arc calls and tells Dolly that she is being paid monthly, so she needs to do more work. That night Dolly dreams of The General meeting a pretty blond woman. After waking, she decides The General should be linked to a movie star, which would recover his image. Kitty Jackson, who had become a martyr after she was assaulted by Jules Jones, and later forgave him, comes to mind. Kitty has fallen from grace since then after a period of bad behavior, including dumping a bag of horse manure on a fellow actor’s head and setting several thousand lemurs free on a Disney set. Kitty agrees to take the job. Arc does not like the plan, but Dolly tells him all The General has to do is stand with Kitty and smile. Arc agrees hesitantly, and tells Dolly she has to travel to The General along with Kitty.

Dolly enters Lulu’s bedroom and is struck by the colors. Her eyes linger on images of winged princesses she has stenciled on the wall using a method she’d learned in prison. Lulu only comes out of her bedroom when it is time to eat, spending the rest of the day separated from Dolly. Since Dolly was released from prison, Lulu has begun calling her by her first name, instead of calling her “mom.” She also makes Dolly drop her off around the corner at school, so the kids won’t see her mother. At school, nine-year-old Lulu is a central figure in the group of girls she hangs out with. Dolly admires Lulu’s authority in the group.

Dolly tells Lulu that she has to take a business trip. She figures Lulu will want to stay with one of her friends, but Lulu asks if she can go along. Lulu asks where they are going, but Dolly can’t tell her. She worries about Lulu being in the presence of The General. Lulu doesn’t ask again where they are going. Instead she asks Dolly if she can dye her (Dolly’s) hair blond again.

Dolly and Lulu meet Kitty at the airport, and Dolly is immediately struck with regret. Kitty looks disheveled, and seems no longer young to Dolly. She wonders if people will even recognize Kitty anymore. While Lulu uses the bathroom, Dolly explains the mission to Kitty. Kitty asks why Dolly brought Lulu. Dolly explains that Lulu knows nothing about The General and won’t meet him. She asks Kitty not to say anything about him. When Lulu returns, they board their flight.

When they arrive, they go through twenty checkpoints before reaching The General’s compound. Dolly looks for signs of trauma on Lulu, but is surprised to find Lulu staring down the men with guns at the checkpoints. The compound, a massive white mansion, is surrounded by lush green gardens and the sparkle of water. When they step out of the car, Dolly feels the sun on her neck. Her hair has recently been cut and dyed blond again. Kitty takes off her sweatshirt, and Dolly notices burns on her arms. Dolly remembers her party, and realizes that Kitty was not in attendance. Kitty then reveals that she made the scars herself in order to appear as if she were at the party. Many people have mutilated themselves to claim attendance, Kitty says, and when Dolly says she knows who was there, Kitty says it doesn’t matter, because Dolly is no longer anyone important. She then takes Dolly’s hand and tells her, “to hell with them.”

Arc greets them and tells Kitty he and The General have watched all of her movies. Dolly is worried about what Kitty might say, but she acts like a starlet, and even suddenly looks younger to Dolly. They learn The General is not there, and they must travel to him. Kitty agrees to go wherever The General wants them to go, and says, “right, kiddo?” to Lulu. It takes Lulu a moment to realize that Kitty is talking to her, and when she does, she agrees.

That night, they settle into a suite, and Arc offers to take them out for a tour. Kitty decides to stay and drink, but Lulu and Dolly go. Before leaving, Dolly tells Kitty not to overdo the alcohol, and to remember whom they are dealing with, but Kitty tells her she wants to forget. She wants to be innocent like Lulu.

Arc takes Dolly and Lulu to an outdoor market in the city. Lulu picks out a star fruit. Arc takes one and nods to the vendor, who looks frightened, nodding eagerly to Dolly and Lulu. Lulu bites into the fruit and laughs. Lulu tells Dolly she has to try some, calling her “mom” in the exchange, and Dolly bites into the fruit. Dolly feels wonderful realizing that Lulu called her “mom.” Afterward, they go to a teashop. The waiter is noticeably anxious around Arc. Arc says that The General moves among the people, but he has to be careful because of his enemies. Someone had made a threat against his home earlier that day, which is why The General left. Dolly is concerned because they are staying in the house.

That night, Dolly can’t sleep for fear of an assassination attempt. She wonders how her life has arrived in this place. She finds herself returning to the party, imaging the plastic pans buckling and dumping burning oil on the guests. She feels at ease because Lulu is sleeping next to her. Dolly had Lulu in her middle age after getting pregnant by a movie star client. Lulu believes her father is dead. Dolly thought about having an abortion, but continued putting it off until it was too late. As she rests there, she feels grateful for The General for providing a single bed where she would get to sleep beside her daughter. She whispers into Lulu’s ear that she will always protect her, and nothing bad will ever happen to them. Lulu sleeps on.

The next morning they drive out to meet The General. Kitty has done her hair and makeup, and Dolly finds her too beautiful to look at. As they drive, children hold out fruit for sale and cardboard signs, but the speeding vehicle pushes them back. Dolly wants to say something to the driver, but she doesn’t know what. She feels relieved after they leave the city limits. Kitty begins to smoke, and Dolly wants to scold her for subjecting Lulu to it.

Kitty asks Lulu what she wants to do with her life. Lulu, who is only nine, doesn’t know. Lulu asks what Kitty dreamed about when she was nine years old, and Kitty tells her she wanted to be a jockey or a movie star. She has realized one of her dreams, and she still loves the acting, but the people, she says, are monsters. They seem nice at first, but it is all a lie. Lulu asks if Kitty ever tried lying, and Kitty says she has, but she couldn’t forget she was lying and when she told the truth she was punished.

Dolly, Lulu, Kitty, and Arc arrive in a jungle, and camouflaged men come from the trees. They walk together to a compound hidden in the side of a hill, and Dolly gets her hidden camera ready. When they meet The General, Dolly is surprised by his short stature and sullied military uniform. He looks tired and grumpy. There is a pause in which no one, including The General, seems to know what to do.

When The General notices Kitty, Dolly watches the power of recognition move across his face. Kitty moves easily toward The General and hugs him, then takes his hands and leans back smiling and laughing a bit, and The General smiles back, showing his teeth. Dolly surreptitiously snaps photographs at each stage of the encounter, and is especially pleased about the photograph showing The General with a smile on his face.

Dolly is overjoyed by Kitty’s acting, and feels relieved that the job is done. She feels proud that she had arranged the event, and that Lulu had seen it. Kitty scans the crowd, and then asks The General if this place is where he buries the bodies, or whether he burns them first. Arc tells Kitty that The General cannot understand her, but he wants to know what is going on. Lulu begs Dolly to make Kitty stop. Dolly tells Kitty to knock it off, but Kitty continues. She asks The General if he eats them, or if he lets the vultures do it. Dolly grabs Kitty’s arm and tells her she is going to get them killed, but Kitty sarcastically asks if she wasn’t supposed to bring up the genocide. The General recognizes the word genocide, and the soldiers detain Kitty. As they carry her off, she continues to question The General until Dolly hears a blow, and then a scream, and Kitty is gone.

The soldiers whisk Dolly and Lulu back to the cars. Lulu rests her head on Dolly’s lap and cries as they drive from the jungle. They are driven to the airport, and are flown back to New York. They arrive early in the morning, and neither of them speaks the entire way home. When they reach the apartment, Dolly is surprised to find nothing has been destroyed. Lulu goes straight to her room, and Dolly tries to figure out what to do about Kitty.

A short while later, Lulu emerges from her room in her school uniform. Dolly is surprised that she wants to go to school, but Lulu asks what else she would do. They don’t talk on the way to school, and Dolly fears that this silence will never end, and if Kitty dies she feels she will lose her daughter too. At the school, Lulu walks away without saying goodbye.

Dolly develops the photos she took of Kitty with The General. After she receives the photos, she rushes home and sends the photos to The Enquirer and The Star. The photos circulate quickly, and by nightfall reporters from major papers start calling. She learns that Arc has denied the rumors about Kitty and The General. Later that night, after fourteen attempts, Dolly reaches Arc by phone. He says they can no longer speak because The General is angry. Arc promises Dolly that Kitty is alive and unharmed, but he will not speak to Dolly again.

Almost a year later, The General comes to New York to speak about his country’s transition to democracy. Dolly and Lulu have moved out of the city, but they drive back one night to meet with Arc. Arc tells Dolly that a few days after they left, photographers had located the compound. He notes that assassins couldn’t even find it, but the photographers came in hordes. After ten days, The General agreed he had to face his inquisitors. He met them with Kitty on his arm, wearing the blue hat Dolly had advised him to wear earlier in the story.

During dinner, Arc asks if Dolly has seen Kitty’s new movie, in which Kitty plays a jockey and rides on horseback. Dolly had gone with Lulu to see the movie in the town where they now live, in Upstate New York. Before they moved, Dolly had received calls from other mass murderers looking for a fresh start, but she didn’t take the work. Lulu had been upset about the move to Upstate New York at first, but she quickly adjusts, and Dolly is relieved because nobody knows her or her failures. She has opened a gourmet shop with the final payment from The General. Occasionally, Dolly will order a shipment of star fruit, and share it with Lulu.