The Dogs: A Modern Bestiary

By Rebecca Brown

Book Overview

The nameless narrator of The Dogs: A Modern Bestiary lives in her studio apartment with a pack of Doberman pinchers. The dogs, led by the cruel, charismatic bitch named Miss Dog, alternate between being brutal attack animals and loyal companions, being real and otherworldly. Some chapters draw upon the ecstatic and horrifying visions of Christian mystics; others take place in the landscapes of familiar fairytales; others in the banal settings of the late-night pick-up bars or suburban picnics. The narrator uneasily inhabits these worlds until the dogs force her to take irrevocable action.

"A snarling attack on the fairytale form. A good girl's fears of inadequacy materialize as a pack of vicious dogs."--Publishers Weekly

"A strange and wonderful first-person voice emerges from the stories of Rebecca Brown, who strips her language of convention to lay bare the ferocious rituals of love and need."--The New York Times

"Using unsentimental language that slices, pries and exposes layers of emotion and sexuality as a scalpel does a body, Brown veers into the uncharted territory."--The San Francisco Chronicle

"I read everything Rebecca Brown writes, watch for her books and hunt down her short stories. She is simply one of the best contemporary lesbian writers around."--Dorothy Allison

"A dry, witty, graceful--if savage--gift."--Mary Gaitskill

Rebecca Brown is the author of other fictions, including The Terrible Girls, Annie Oakley's Girl, and The Gifts of the Body. She is the winner of the 2003 Washington State Book Award, and was awarded a Genius Award and grant from Seattle's weekly magazine, The Stranger. She lives in Seattle.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0872863441
• ISBN13: 9780872863446
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: City Lights Books
• Length: 178 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Patience.

Rebecca Brown's books are challenging - they are beautiful and worth it. The bad reviews that she receives on here tell me nothing more than the writers weren't immediately gratified and lost their patience anticipating the climax or clarity spelled out for them in no uncertain terms, unaware that reading is a process in and of itself and that the most successful writers do not always tell you exactly what to think and when - some books reveal themselves slowly. Enjoy her words, the sentences, and the structure no matter how unconventional, without trying to rush her to a conclusion or a resolution because if that's all you're looking for you'll be left wanting. These are not feel good vignettes and are pretty moving. Reading Brown is an immensely satisfying experience for me.

The Mind Leaps, Growls and Paces

When is a dog not a dog? When it is anything and everything else. In The Dogs, Rebecca Brown uses the totality of dogness--their bodies, habits, history, and varied relationships to human beings--as a literary tool through which to examine the depths of a tormented human mind. What struck me most about this work is that by making the dogs as real or unreal as she wanted, Brown gave herself a huge range in which to explore her subject.The first chapter of The Dogs is entitled "Dog, in which is illustrated Immanence." Immanence means "having existence only in the mind." At first, this might sound limiting, but with The Dogs, Brown shows us just how vast the mind can be.

great literature

This novel is one of those rare works that reminds a reader what great literature can be. Part fable, part diary, this often sadomasochistic rendering of the psyche is at first a voyeuristic view into the world of a madwoman, then on closer inspection reveals the workings of the mind of everyone...ultimately a zen meditation, this book goes beyond the chiches of the zen void and offers the reader a talisman of amazing power. The only book I've read that truly has the power to heal and transform. Kirkus sucks.

Brilliant, Painfully Honest, Luminous

Rebecca Brown is one of the riskiest, most revelatory fiction writers around. The Dogs is at turns mythical, agoraphobic, profound, and suspenseful. It is easy to miss what makes Brown so powerful, because her prose is full of understatement. But her words are amazingly deliberate, almost incantatory, and the end effect is a terrifying, transcendent thrill ride. The Dogs is a fascinating story and - like other Brown books - an exhilerating read. Brown doesn't take any easy exits, and this is what makes her work so fascinating - it cuts to the heart of the most difficult, inexplicable human emotions and lets the reader dwell there for awhile. I highly recommend The Dogs.