Dwell Here and Prosper

by Chris Eagle

Dick, a blunt and bawdy Philly sports fan, finds himself in an assisted living facility following a stroke. Determined to regain his independence, he does daily laps around the grounds with his quad cane. But when recovery never comes, and days swell into years, Dick finds purpose instead by studying his fellow residents, chronicling their odd obsessions and their nasty arguments, their breakdowns, their drunken debaucheries—and yes, even their sexual escapades.

Dwell Here and Prosper is a gritty but heartfelt novel, heavily informed by the author’s father and his experiences in assisted living near Philadelphia in the 90s. With its set of memorable outcasts—a shady jokester who insists he worked for the FBI, a schizophrenic Catholic who roams local cemeteries at night in search of the Virgin Mary, a twenty-six-year-old whose teeth mysteriously fell out, a middle-aged alcoholic who prostitutes herself to other residents for booze and cigarettes—it’s a One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for a different generation and a different kind of institution. This timeless book offers a funny yet honest meditation on aging and community, and what it means to thrive in purgatory.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

Published May 23, 2023

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to first start by acknowledging the cover. Tell me it doesn't beg for you to pick it up and read the description?! I can practically smell the bitter skin and cigarette smoke!

Dwell Here and Prosper will be releasing in May with Tortoise Books. It's coined as 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for a different generation' and honestly, that's not too far off the mark. In it, we follow Dick, who has found himself in an assisted living facility following a pretty brutal stroke. Initally set on this being a temporary stop on the road to recovery, he begins to collect the stories and histories of his fellow residents to help pass the time as he walks his laps around the yard and up and down the hallways. Of course, his body has other plans and as the days turn into months turn into years, Dick finds himself reluctantly comforted by the crazy chaos, repetitive routine, and whackado crew he's holed up with.

Poignant and gritty, it paints a cheeky yet heartbreaking picture of what it is to grow old and infirm, of what most of us will have to face as we age or with our aging parents. I'll tell you one thing, I plan to go down swinging like ole Dick here, making the best of a bad situation and nurturing some amazingly strange ass friendships along the way.

[Brian Gerd · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Dwell Here and Prosper takes us through three years in an assisted living home as our lead character works to recover from a stroke. The book is written well and the characters and their various issues/interactions have entertaining moments. I read through the book fairly quickly and it was fine, but the story didnt really hit for me. The story advances through a series of observations or incidents at the assisted living home, but without advancing an overarching narrative. The book dances around a few ideas about assisted living and the aging process, just enough for the reader to acknowledge them, but not really anything more. I would have liked to see a more in depth discussion taking on these points, but instead the main character's insight is essentially treated as another recorded observation of his stay than generating meaningful reflection.

[Savvy McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finishing this book, I was desperate to know what came of earlier characters who left the assisted living facility for one reason or another, while envisioning what future years might look like for the remaining crew. All characters are fascinating and well-written, and I especially second the book’s description as a “funny yet honest meditation on aging and community, and what it means to thrive in purgatory.” By the end, I was rooting for all of the characters—even the most outlandish. Aside from Dick, favorites included Thinker, Gums, Three Bags, Marvin, Brog, and of course, Rosary.

[Jonathan Dunkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with the publisher, Tortoise Books, before reading this one and was surprised to see the number of books they have published. I couldn't ask for much better for my first exposure to them.

The narrator Richard (Dick, Dicko, Popsicle) is an elderly man recovering from a stroke and living in a Philadelphia assisted living facility. At least that is what the place is called on the cover of the book. It could also pass for a mental health facility or perhaps a rundown apartment complex if not for the fact there are a couple of employees who work there. The people there are down-on-their-luck, with little resources and little to no family. Some, as in Richard's case, are there by choice. Dick has family but alienated himself thanks to his alcoholism.

The story covers several years of Richard's life in the facility and the cast of other residents who also reside there. The author, Eagle, provides a nice assortment of personalities for his characters which makes for an entertaining book.

The author was raised in the Philadelphia area and my own familiarity with the region probably gave me a little more enjoyment of the book. He maintains a good emotional balance throughout. There is a grittiness and despondency because of the bad breaks that have led these people to their current situation but there is also a level of joy and appreciation as these folks look out for one another. It's a well-done, unusual book that I enjoyed a lot and which will make me check out some of the other works Tortoise has put out.

[Scott Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dick has been moved to a facility tending to those unfit for everyday society, which is neither a care home or a mental hospital. It merely houses a multitude of delinquents with no chance of cure or rehabilitation.

The book is an amalgamation of Eagle's father's notes of living in such facilities condensed into one location with a host of colourful characters.

Dick has a bum leg and a dead arm from a stroke that's seen him unfit to care for himself fully. He parades the grounds of the facility in attempt at healing his deficiencies and befriends/bemoans other residents.

This is not some action packed novel, but it sits in the space I am enjoying just now of looking at human life and especially these types of characters who fall through the cracks of society with nobody there to drag them back up.

There is a severe lack of prospering within the pages, but the book is never despairing. It just shows us that this type of place will never see people get better. It prolongs and deepens their issues and merely acts as housing for the poor souls within until they perish or need to be moved on.

I don't know how prevalent a place such this is today, but you know there are plenty out there forgotten about and left to their own devices acting out whatever gets them through the days. This novel is a rare glimpse into the stoic hopelessness that can come from this kind of life. The acceptance of there being no way out.

[Brendan O'Malley]

Dwell Here & Prosper is a lighthearted and humbling, yet humorous read about a man's experience while residing in a Pennsylvania assisted living facility. Material obtained from these personal observations are made into this funny story with its array of characters, each with their own unique disposition.

Well done Mr. Eagle

[Josh Beskind · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, sorry Eagle. Enjoyed the perspective and observant eye of the protagonist and some of the stories were funny, but idk. I think the monotony was the point of it but without any emotions to grab onto, it dragged a bit. Meh

[Dhaval R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and chose to highlight it for #fridayreads. Watch: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuaWEE...