Even Dogs Go Home to Die: A Memoir

by Linda St. John

Raw, evocative, and unforgettable. The snapshot pictures that sum up the young life of acclaimed outsider artist and author Linda St. John have the power to shock and disturb us as she offers a glimpse into her dirt-poor childhood in southern Illinois. These stories tell the tale of her father's casual brutality and her mother's cruel indifference, and how Linda and her siblings create their own kind of sanctuary that protects them from the violence they faced daily. But more than a tale of heartbreak, Linda St. John poignantly reveals her own indomitable spirit when, through her father's illness, she discovers the redemptive powers of love. With prose as haunting as it is precise,  Even Dogs Go Home to Die  is one of the most original, moving, funny, and heartbreaking memoirs of recent years.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[April Lyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction firsthand account of Linda St. John's poverty stricken life. She talks about her whole family, even the extended family, and she moves out of her childhood into early adulthood, too.

The format is unconventional, in that each page (sometimes two pages) is a new chapter. It's a bit overwhelming at first, because you feel like you're reading someone else's memories (someone else with BAD ADD!). But you get used to it after a while.

In the end, it wasn't the most amazing or unique story, and you begin to think she's making things sound worse than they really were (as she spirals deeper and deeper into an endless abyss of self-pity). But it had some redeeming writing.

[Jacky Torrisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. To sum up this book, it was a less eloquent version of The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Linda St John tells the story of her childhood and of her relationship with her father in the form of one to two page short excepts. Each memory she visits and story she tells is limited to a few paragraphs, so there’s not much room for further details or explanations. A couple of the stories/chapters didn’t make much sense because I wasn’t sure when she was referring to or what time frame she was talking about. Not very cohesive. Also I’m not a fan of reading slang, so to me, the southern accent slang written out was irritating.

The content of the stories was interesting for the most part. Though I felt a lot of hate and resentment toward her family, especially her mother. And the way they spoke to each other in the book was vile, as well as the way she described her sisters and mother — calling them fat and idiots and whatnot. I didn’t understand the respect for her drunk, abusive dad and the resentment toward her mom who was a survivor of the Nazi Hungarian invasion.

All in all, a quick interesting read but I hoped for more resolution at the end between Linda and her family. There weren’t many introspective moments or much to gain from this book aside from entertainment.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snippets of a hard life lived as a child - touching and heart-wrenching with moments of joyful relief throughout. How a young family behaves faced with the possibility of violence every day of their lives and how they deal with their torment as adults - forgiving or not.

[Gretchen Filart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant and raw memoir that treads the complicated and oft-fragile relationship between children and fathers.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, dysfunctional, and utterly compelling – this memoir was written as a series of short vignettes, snapshots of an abusive and profoundly poverty-stricken childhood in southern Illinois. I nearly passed on this book because of the form can be a bit challenging to read, you have to keep yourself oriented as the each shard of the story is arranged and the full picture of the family is revealed. However, it is highly satisfying and a fairly quick read once you get into it. Highly recommended, although because the tone is quite dark, (and this comes from someone who cut her teeth on profoundly dark writing) it might not be for everyone – now to do some more research and determine why Ms. St. John thanks both Steve Earle and Giancarlo Esposito in her acknowledgements…

[Cara Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the format of this book with the authors dysfunctional life presented in little vignettes, revealing tiny snapshots of moments, hours, or a day in her crazy childhood and how it affects her as an adult. Most would keep these experiences hidden. Linda St John is very brave in lightheartedly sharing her life with her readers. This is one of my very favorite books! Funny, sad, personal.

[Patience Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning memoir of the effects of war and craziness on one family. I could not put it down. What struck me the most is that no one relates the craziness to the father's combat experiences or the mother's experiences as a civilian kid in Germany under all that bombing...
I loved it!

[Irus · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Maria Recommendation; I really enjoyed it and couldn't help relating to some of those familial episodes. At times hilarious and poignant, but ultimately a little bit repetitive.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really spoke to me and my own personal experiences. It was relatable, especially if you know a loved one who has died of cancer.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

innovative format keeps it from getting too overwhelming, cathartic and moving

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my thing. So much not my thing that I feel slightly guilty about rating it.

[Stefan Balan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for those who want to see poverty at work from the inside. Heart-wrenching.

[Jennifer Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

bittersweet, funny and tragic at the same time. A page turner.