Review: Dogrun by Arthur Nersesian
by Jenners • 05/15/2010 • 3 Stars, Contemporary, D Titles, Fiction, N Authors • 10 Comments
1 book you read: Dogrun by Arthur Nersesian
2 words that describe the book: East Village life
3 settings where it took place or characters you met:
- Setting: the East Village in modern-day NYC
- Mary Bellanova is a wannabe writer who works at a series of unrewarding temp jobs to make ends meet. One day she comes home from work, finds her live-in boyfriend Primo watching TV and ends up getting in a one-sided argument with him about his laziness and lack of contribution to the household … before realizing he is dead. Primo’s death is the jump start Mary needs to get her life in order.
- Primo is Mary’s dead boyfriend, yet her efforts to deal with his death and find closure reveal more about Primo than Mary ever knew during his life and brings her into contact with a colorful cast of characters who end up becoming important people to Mary.
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
- I liked the fact that this book was better than I thought it would be, but I must confess I had rather low expectations going in. (It is published by MTV Books after all so I was just impressed the author was able to keep up a sustained story line! HAHA!)
- I liked how Mary gets her life in order by trying to tie up the loose ends of Primo’s life. Primo turns out to be a better boyfriend while dead than alive. The book has a bit of a madcap feel to it—Mary accidentally joins a band! Mary scatters the wrong ashes at the dogpark! Mary goes on a bunch of bad dates!—that made for oftentimes amusing reading.
- I disliked the sans serif font used in the book! Don’t publishers today know that a serif font is much easier on the eyes and should be used for long stretches of text?!
- I disliked how this is a book that I forgot about pretty much as soon as I was done with it. There is nothing wrong with this book, but it isn’t one that will change your life or make you swoon or put much effort into writing a book review about it. However, if I was at a different point in my life (e.g., single, in my 20s and trying to live an “artful” life in a big city), I think I might have thought more of the book.
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I’m giving the book 3 stars. It was an OK read, and I didn’t suffer while reading it. I think if you live in the East Village or have a lifestyle like those reflected in the book (which involves a lot of joining bands, scribbling stories, trying to live a life of “art”) this book might be more appealing to you than it was to me.
The Whys and Wheres: I got my copy via Paperback Swap because I needed an N author for the A to Z Author challenge.
To find out what other bloggers are saying about the book discussed in this post, visit the Book Blogs Search Engine.
This sounds like it had more potential than it was able to deliver on. That whole ashes scattering thing is funny in a horrifying way!
I don't think I'd recognize a sans serif font it it hit me in the face. I'll have to go look up some fonts in Word.
Loved what you said about your expectations of an MTV book – I'm sure I'd feel the same way.
Not familiar with this one. Thanks for the review!
I love your review, it almost feels like a have to read it to see the humour in it. Isn't if funny though how you learn things you didn't know about people after their dead. Have a good weekend.
This kinda has a quirky thing going on with it, it sounds like. But 3 out of 5 stars probably isn't enough to make me push aside my house-sized pile and read it.
This gives me a lot to think about! Next time I fight with my husband about his laziness and lack of contribution to the household … I'll check to see if he's dead!
I haven't heard of this book before but it sounds entertaining in a dark way, I suppose. I'll keep it in mind next time I'm looking for something a little different.
I didn't know MTV is publishing books. I guess that's good and bad. Maybe they're getting some non-readers to read with their efforts.
This would make a great movie by Tarantino! Love that he's dead on the sofa-laziness killed him!
Must be awful when that happens – you come home looking for an arguement and he's dead.
I've heard several things about this book, most seem to rate it as average so perhaps worth a trip to the library but not one for my wish list.