Heroic Measures

by Jill Ciment

The basis for the major motion picture 5 Flights Up starring Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman.New York City is on high alert—a gasoline truck is “stuck” in the Midtown tunnel and the driver has fled. Through panic and gridlock, Alex and Ruth must transport their beloved old dachshund—whose back legs are suddenly paralyzed—to the animal hospital, using a cutting board as a stretcher. But this is also the weekend when Alex and Ruth must sell the apartment in which they have lived for most of their adult lives. Over the course of forty-eight hours, as the mystery of the missing truck driver terrorizes the city and the dachshund’s life hangs in the balance, the bidding war over their apartment becomes a barometer for collective hope and despair. Told in shifting points of view—Alex’s, Ruth’s, and the little dog’s—Heroic Measures is a moving, deft novel about urban anxiety and the love that deepens over years.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Animals, New York, Novels, Dogs, Realistic Fiction

177 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Jill Ciment was born in Montreal, Canada. She is the author of Small Claims, a collection of short stories and novellas; The Law of Falling Bodies, Teeth of the Dog, The Tattoo Artist, and Heroic Measures, novels; and Half a Life, a memoir. She has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts, a NEA Japan Fellowship Prize, two New York State Fellowships for the Arts, the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Ciment is a professor at the University of Florida. She lives with her husband, Arnold Mesches, in Gainesville, Florida and Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book came closer to making me cry than any book ever has.(said karen, forgetting she has an entire shelf devoted to "books that made me cry" - a regrettable oversight.) there is so much perfect charming poignant love and affection and need and small quiet despair in it,that it touched a little emotional nub that books can't usually find. it's not even particularly sad, it's just a little piece of "right there".

when i was little, and would go to the library seriously all.the.time., they used to lend out picture books enclosed in a little plastic bag with this white plastic handle that snapped shut with such a satisfying noise that also contained a hand puppet of whatever animal main character the book featured.and i loved these things. the puppets always smelled so good, and for some reason, i found the whole idea of a linked toy-and-book mind-blowing. all of that to say that while i was reading this book, and despite my dislike for any dog that can fit in a shoulder bag, i really wanted to have a dachshund licking my fingers while i was reading, and wished one had come attached to the book, in a little bag.

this is a perfect dog book, it is a perfect new york book, it is a perfect post-9/11 book - it is just a whole lot of perfect crammed into a tiny little package. not unlike, i suppose, a dachshund.

right - one more thing - i just wanted to praise her for all the parts written from the dog's POV - which is usually something that i think authors think is cute, but rarely works for me. but she nailed it (not nailed it as in - "yes, that is exactly how dogs think" - because how the hell would i know?) but there is a whole gorgeous episode of the dog in the animal hospital, away from her owners, not knowing why she is there and where they are, and trapped with animals in varying states of distress, and it is just so moving. and i had a cat that had serious medical problems - it was simultaneously renal and heart-and-lung, and he had to keep getting shuttled off to the vet to get his lungs drained of fluid, and the vet scenes in here really took me back to that helpless love for something i was responsible for, but couldn't fix myself. pet-ownership is such a spectacularly fraught experience because it is falling in love with something you are bound to outlive. and it's such a problematic relationship, in that respect. and right now my cat is yowling like crazy because she wants to go play bead in the hallway, and even though i have more paper to write, today of all days, i am going to give maggie exactly what she wants, because i am soft as a grape right now towards all animals, but especially the one who lets me grab her little handies.

come to my blog!

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOD...
This was soooooo WONDERFUL!!!!
....enchanting, endearing, compelling, amusing....written with a wry tone ...
a heartwarming gem!!!!

Ruth, Alex, ( an elderly Jewish couple), lived in Manhattan, with their dog, Dorothy.

SOMETHING ALWAYS HAPPENS IN NYC!!!!

Jill Ciment wrote the perfect 200 page novel..(plot and characters)...packed-filled with emotions & thought!!!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
A GREAT TREAT TO ANY READER!!!

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a perfect five, but a very strong four and a half.

Karen reviews this book better than I would. Her review can be found here.

Seriously, Karen's review will be better than this. But here goes my version of the review.

One, for reasons that I don't care to write about, this book got me incredibly depressed. Normal people avoid things that depress them, I on the other hand give them five stars and think they are great, but then work on figuring out all the things in my life I can push as far away from me as possible so that I can exist in the most emotionally flatlined way possible. I'm writing too much here, parts of the book depressed me.

Two, I do not normally like 9/11 things, or post 9/11 things that reflect back on 9/11. This book though I think did a pretty good job capturing the feeling of being stuck in this stupid city when serious fucking shit is going down and having less idea about what is going on then probably every person in the country who isn't stuck in the stupid city at the time. Rather than being really accurate to say 9/11, it was more like the weird couple of days right after it in this book mixed with the paralyzing congestion of the blackout day.

Three, I agree with Karen, the scenes told from the Dog's point of view could have been seriously stupid, but they weren't. I'm pretty sure that dogs don't really think in the way Ciment has the dog thinking, but the anthropomorphizing of the dog's thoughts didn't feel cheap or weird or gimmicky. They were sweet, and sad and at times heartbreaking, but without resorting to too much sentimentality and unfair pulling of heart strings.

Four, I agree with the reviewer who says that on the surface this novel shouldn't work. I'm too lazy to make a here link to this review too, go look for it though if you care. I fully expect my books to make the insignificant transcend the ordinary and become sublime or whatever, but I still agree with this reviewer that the story of a sick dog, two old jews selling their apartment and a weekend where a suspected terrorist is at large in NYC doesn't necessarily sound like the most engaging of stories, or actually there is so much more plot here than in most things I read so nevermind, I still agree with this review though.

Five, Zweig should read this book. In less than half the pages of Zweig's book, Ciment managed to tell a story develop multiple characters and more importantly for Zweig managed to really capture the feeling of the neighborhood around St. Marks Place and Tompkins Square Park without having to rely on giving MapQuest.com like directions to get the 'feeling' of the neighborhood. With just a few words she caught the feeling of being in the neighborhood, maybe not living in it, since I've never lived there, but I'm pretty sure that Zweig didn't really capture that either with his lists o' directions.

Six, when in doubt throw in a Zweig shot, this is almost guarantee that MFSO will get himself involved in the discussion.

Seven, why does writing Ciment seem wrong, at what point does an author have to be at where it's ok to refer to them just by their last name? I don't want to do the New York Times Mrs. Ciment; that sounds lame, but Ciment doesn't sound right. It can't be that the person must be dead, because Vonnegut was Vonnegut while he was alive, but then Norman Mailer was Norman Mailer, not Mailer; the same way that Gore Vidal isn't Vidal, but Gore Vidal; but Updike is Updike; but DFW is DFW and never Wallace or Foster Wallace; but going back to the Mailer and Vidal generation, while they are both first and last name people, Truman Capote is Capote, but is that because he's been dead for longer than Norman Mailer? What is the basis for deciding what is the best way for writing an authors name?

Eight, I forget what eight was for (glaringly unoriginal, and anyone could see this coming from a mile way when I went on that number seven tangent about names), so I'll wrap up the review here.

[Jenbebookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept hearing people say that this book was like, theeee most amazing book. A particular Goodreads friend who I trust very much when it comes to book recs even claimed this as one of her favorite books! So that being said, I was expecting this lil novel to blow me away.

Well. It didn't blow me away in the manner I expected it to, but I loved it nonetheless. It was a very sweet book about a very sweet subject, one that is very dear to my heart. Dogs! I think any dog lover will first imagine their own sweet puppy in the place of the dog from this book, and then secondly love this book to pieces.

The book is short, and sweet, tho for being such a quick read it still read like a punch in the gut. Who of us dog lovers wouldn't shed a tear after reading about surgery and recovery from the perspective of a dog? When Dorothy's (the dog) back legs are paralyzed from a ruptured disc and yet the sweet pup still answers to her owner's call by attempting to bring her little body over to him by dragging her lifeless legs behind her across the animal hospital floor? Who of us wouldn't be reminded of our own sweet pet when Dorothy's only cognitive thought as she lay there in a pain induced haze is, "maybe that's Alex and Ruth come to bring me home?"

There were other things going on in the book, set in New York alongside a potential bomb threat, the selling and moving of apartments, etc etc, but that to me was just background noise, all I cared about and wanted to know was is Dorothy going to survive the surgery? And when can she go home and leave the awful animal hospital that is an assault to all her senses and where death lingers beyond every corner?

This book is worth reading, particularly if you have a dog. Or a heart. There is so much sweetness wrapped up in this little bundle of a book, a couple hours spent reading this and you'll be left with the warm fuzzies and the urgent desire to cuddle your dog to death!

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was featured on Ann Patchett's new to you Friday post. I trust Ann and she was right. This is a short compact volume that cites Chekhov and features a little dog and her elderly humans. New York after 9/11 with a possible terrorist event while the little dog is ailing and er humans are selling their own apartment and buying another. Evoking hope and humanity, this little story flows with smooth dialogue and human humans. Read it because its new to you!

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heroic Measures is a little gem, one of those rare books that you pick up and can't put down, while at the same time you wish it would never end. It is about a couple, Alex and Ruth, and their dachshund Dorothy. One weekend morning Dorothy is not acting herself and shortly afterwards she can not walk. Alex and Ruth rush to the emergency after hours veterinary hospital where they find out that she most likely has a disc problem and will require surgery. Alex and Ruth are a childless couple and Dorothy is like a child to them. At times, couples that treat dogs like children can seem corny, but in the hands of an author like Ciment, we empathize with Alex and Ruth and grow to love Dorothy as if she were our own.

At the same time that Dorothy is hospitalized, Alex and Ruth are in the process of selling their 5 floor walk-up condominium. Alex is 78 years old and Ruth is 74. They would like to use the money from the sale of their condo to buy a condo with an elevator. They are getting on in years and are feeling the difficulty of walking five flights of stairs every time they come or go.

Also occurring at this time is a crisis in Manhattan. An Exxon truck has jack-knifed in the Midtown Tunnel and the driver has left the scene. There are questions as to whether he is a terrorist. He has kidnapped a taxi driver and stuffed him in the trunk of the taxi. Traffic in Manhattan is at a stand-still, cabs have been called off the streets, and Alex and Ruth are having trouble getting to the animal hospital to visit Dorothy. They are also looking at condos to buy and find one that they love. However, they are not sure how the current crisis with the suspected terrorist is effecting housing bids. They are hoping to get enough money for their condo so that buying a new condo will be an even trade.

Ciment writes with a languishing loveliness and a straight-forward dialogue. In a book of less than 200 pages, she develops characters so that the reader feels like she knows them deeply and well. I refer not just to the human characters, but to Dorothy as well. Ciment is an artist who uses few words to evoke deep wells. She is an expert in conveying myriad emotions and establishing empathy for her characters despite their foibles.

This book is a must-read. It is remarkable in so many ways - - the narrative, the characterizations, the emotive quality and sensibility,and the empathic quality of the writing. I consider it one of the best books that I have read this year.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because Karen Brisette loved it. Really. Urban NYers would appreciate it most. The angst of selling/buying NYC apartments and dealing with buyers, sellers, and real estate agents. A post 9-11 terror event. A wonderful substory around an aging dachsund (and her aging owners.) The dog's POV chapters were 5 star. But Jill Ciment forgot the tie up all of her plot lines. Otherwise, a 4 star book.

[Susane Colasanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill Ciment is a phenomenal writer. She finds beauty in the mundane, has an ear for authentic dialogue, and her descriptions of New York City sunrises and sunsets are exquisite. Her depiction of Dorothy's point of view is heartbreakingly sentimental; the entire story radiates a nostalgic glow. The film adaptation of Heroic Measures, 5 Flights Up, stays true to the book in every way that matters. I highly recommend watching the film before or after reading for an enhanced experience that will change the way you see other people...and animals.

[Arthur Hawkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first page was sublime, and hinted at prose that never survived longer than chapter one. Past that point it was pretty basic and utilitarian. I struggled to connect with Ruth and Alex. Just when I was starting to get close to them, they'd do something that created distance. That awful restaurant scene being one example (food insulted, sent back, off-menu ordering, no tip). There's probably a fine, generational, cultural line between what some find cutely irreverent and others rude and disrespectful. I fall into the latter camp. Much of the character building is done through the narrator who alludes to anti-war socialists resisting the powers that be, but the characters that exist outside of this narrative don't resemble these people much, save for the small hints at humility through things like Ruth's want for the old apartment to be a seeing-eye-dog haven. The drama in the book could've been greater. It reminded me a bit of the renovation TV show Grand Designs, where they try to inject drama into a situation, describing the risk of the house going way over-budget, only for the renovator to sell one of their other 20 houses to make up the difference. Ruth and Alex are millionaires in terms of assets, resigned to the idea of buying another exorbitant New York home, rather than move further afield or out of state. And while their insularity (and that of New York, and the US as a whole) is a fixture of the novel, it makes me struggle to appreciate their struggle. The narrator indelicately glosses over a brown waiter, a "Chinese" postman, "urban youths" and Pamir, the alleged terrorist, as if they are mere extras in the story of Ruth and Alex, rather than points on which to say more. The media dialogue about the terrorist is funny, but the facts of the matter are not. Ciment paints the picture of a fractured, racist, anti-Muslim USA, but does little more than reportage. I found myself more invested in the story of Pamir than I did in the story of whether Alex would get his 5ft studio extension. Modern America remains unexplored, as do the real issues facing elderly people. I had wondered until c.p77 whether the trials of the dog would be mirrored in Ruth. When they did not, I had hoped at least for something that showed these former activists could harvest something meaningful from the events of the past days. I'm not someone who decries a mundane plot. There are many great books in which not a lot happens. In this book a lot happens, but it happens in the background, blurred through the windows of this quiet, rather drab carriage.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heroic Measures – Jill Ciment

This was one of a pile of books I took with me to our summer cabin. Others around there hike and fish and golf. We sit on the deck and read. I don’t remember why I picked this book. I think it must have been from a review here at Goodreads.

If your goal is a relaxing, warm fuzzy read, then this is your book. It never gets the slightest bit dark even though it deals with end-of-life issues. An aging couple who wish to sell their walkup apartment in NYC, thereby gaining financial security and losing the climb they find increasingly difficult. The decision as to what to do with their equally aging, and now seriously ill, dachshund.

A review I read applauded the author for avoiding sentimentality. Would that it were true. I was enjoying this book a great deal and finding it wonderfully well written until I turned a page and discovered that I was now reading the voice of the dog. This is no mawkish Edgar Sawtelle book, Ciment writes too well for that. But moving into that dog’s POV almost killed it for me. Way too clever by half. However, I persevered because it read so smoothly and because of the issues it was addressing. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but I wish that darn dog had shut up.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story 😊

[Stuti Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like books with old or animals. I like 'em because, in real life, I've never been, probably never will be close to my grandparents, or animals. But then I absolutely hate portrayals of old people/animals as these veterans at everything who give advice, advice, advice. Heroic Measures is specifically marvelous in the sense that it's brought me closer to two people and a dog whose lives ordinarily, on the surface wouldn't garner my interest, much less engagement. It reminded me(not a lot, mind you) of The Snow Child, which I lovedlovedloved, and I think that says almost all.

This is the story of Ruth and Alex, an old couple looking to sell their cow apartment, and their dog, Dorothy, whose hind portion is paralyzed, set amidst panic and frenzy of New York real estate and suicide bombers.

I loved each and every aspect of this book, beginning with:

1)Ruth and Alex. Ruth uncovers unfeasible truths about herself which don't right with her. In the end, however, it's Alex who reverts to the aforementioned. Their subdued voices while everyone else is running around or sitting tight-they do that themselves but in a tired way, just finally wanting their rewards because they are already selling their goddamn cow home.

2)Dorothy. I love that although Ciment ascribed emotions to the dog, enough that we could connect with her, feel for her not in a patronizing way but actually sympathize, Dorothy still never came across as a human: she was a dog in her full rights. And thank god! she wasn't silly or cartoon-like. Never once did the book try to force me into loving Dorothy-like oh she's so cute and blah di dah love her! fucking love her! I hate that. :<

3)The setting. Like I said, big bad New York. However, the best thing was how profoundly it affected Ruth and Alex, yet not in the way one would expect. It almost forms a contrast-like two separate worlds whose circumferences touch at points. New York and its lunatics and people who think Muslim's a language, and Ruth and Alex's.

4)The writing! It was simplistic, subdued; emotion was doled out but never to overwhelm or affect the reader. Yep, the reader wasn't even a part of this story: it didn't factor the reader in, nor play out for their sake.

And that cover? Just perfect.

Sooooooooooo? Love this book, read this book. Or the other way round.

[Carous · Rating 2 out of 5]

O filme é muito melhor do que o livro
Pasmem com a afirmação acima, embora eu não tenha ficado surpresa. Já encontrei outras adaptações que superaram suas versões literárias.

Em "Heroic Measures" encontramos exatamente o que está na sinopse: Ruth e Alex vendendo seu amável apartamento porque a escada se tornou um empecilho para eles enquanto Nova Iorque está em pânico por conta de um caminhão preso no túnel que pode ser um ato terrorista, e Dorothy, a cachorrinha amada do casal cai de cama e precisa ser levada ao hospital.

O filme soube aproveitar melhor o tempo na tela, os personagens e as circunstâncias. E ainda que o resultado final seja agradável, sofreu duras críticas.

Já o livro perdeu preciosas páginas em que podia nos apresentar Ruth e Alex, seu passado e presente, explorar a venda do apartamento, os interessados e a procura do casal por um novo local para morar, mostrando o ponto de vista de Dorothy enquanto passa a semana internada no hospital. É isso que você leu.

Como eu vi a adaptação antes, fiquei decepcionada. Mas na Amazon o livro ganhou 5 estrelas e foi descrito como "bastante descritivo". Vamos concordar em discordar.

O filme tem humor, ação, complexidade. O livro é o que os americanos chamam de "vanilla". E ainda somos premiadas com uma cena de sexo da terceira idade. O que não seria problema algum se a coitada da Ruth não estivesse dormindo e o marido a acordasse porque o Viagra estava fazendo efeito. Vê se pode...

E aí umas 10 páginas depois o livro termina. livro

[JoAnn/QuAppelle Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the writing style of this little gem of a book, and that the author was able to convey so much with so few words. Her character development was deft and convincing despite the spare prose and I really cared about these interesting people. I was engaged from the first page.

Ruth and Alex, a childless, elderly couple who have lived in the East Village for 50 years, need to sell their apartment --- the stairs to their fifth-floor walkup have become just too much for them to handle. The story takes place over just one weekend, starting with them rushing their elderly dachshund to the emergency vet on Friday night, then enduring an open house on Saturday morning along with a possible terrorist on the loose in the city. Most of the narration is by Ruth, one of the two central characters, but some is done by their dog, Dorothy.

I really liked the respect with which the author treated these two older people and their habits and foibles. I never felt that she was impatient with them, but presented them as they were, and their situation as a realistic little slice of life.

Very well done and thought provoking. A pleasure to read.

[Rita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this book. I know, EVERYONE ~loves~ this book. But, I didn't love this book. I finished it in two sittings because yes, it was a page-turner and I had to know the fate of the little dog from the cover. But, I really didn't like how the author didn't even seem to much like the people in the book. One after the other was described by (and then after referred to by) their flaws -- the "horse-faced woman," the "basset-eyed newscaster," the realtor who is "about Ruth's age with a figure like a gym sock stuffed with tennis balls." adding next, "Her red hair sports white roots, but she always wears a fresh coating of crimson lipstick."

Why? Why so many snarky things about the people? It just sat wrong with me. The disdain permeated even the dog's internal narrative, sadly, making her seem as shallow and pretentious as the couple ended up feeling to me by the end. As much as I wanted to be invested in their real-estate drama, it was hard to not feel they were being greedy and self-absorbed.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The law of happy reading: if Ann Patchett recommends a book, especially in her “New to You” reels, just do it.

How else might I have found this delight? It’s slim , but it perfectly captures the long, devoted, marriage of two lifelong New Yorkers with such nuance that it nearly broke my heart. The tiny gestures that show how completely one knows a spouse. The tiny arguments that die almost upon being aired. The complete understanding and acceptance of each other’s foibles. And….lest you think that these less-than-two-hundred pages are boringly quotidian, remember, this is New York! Real estate deals and brokers! A truck that sets off a near panic! Scenes that featured, quite prominently, Bed, Bath, and Beyond (you won’t believe it); mushroom barley soup from Fairway; a beloved dachshund ; and much nearly Marx Brothers-level action. Favorite quote, from Ruth, wise wife that she is: “Let’s
go get our dog, Alex. There will always be something happening.” And boy, is she right.

[Ayelet Waldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god, this book is GREAT. I mean, really really great. And I hate little dogs.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful New York novel. Written with today's paranoias and conflicts. Partly told through the eyes of a loving family pet. Read in one sitting.

[Hella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want more.

[Chele]

Book to Movie entitled: 5 Flights Up, starring Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2933544/

[Pamela Huenke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part of the book was told from the dog’s point of view. I liked that part but it wasn’t enough to boost it to 3 stars.

[Stefania · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non so davvero perché io abbia letto questo libro, forse è tutta colpa della mia propensione a lasciarmi sopraffare dall'entusiasmo per gli sconti sulle bancarelle dei libri usati. Fatto sta che ho iniziato a leggere questa storia che parla di proprietà e agenti immobiliari, compravendite e di un cane trascurato, sì proprio io che appena qualcuno mi parla di comprare case, lavori di ristrutturazione e cabine armadio vengo immediatamente colta da lunghi attacchi di narcolessia. Devo seriamente cominciare a studiare una strategia per proteggermi da questi trappoloni a buon mercato per lettrici compulsive come me.

[Margaret]

This story was okay and not badly written but for me it just lacked enough drama/suspense to be much of a page turner. It was just a little too ordinary to be fascinating. It did ring true as a depiction of real life but I guess for me, I am looking for a little more of an escape from real life when I read a story.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply beautiful story about Ruth and Alex and a weekend in their life. Married for 45 years, living in a NYC fifth floor walk up, belonging to an elderly and injured dachshund, they decide to sell their place and look for one in NYC with an elevator. In the midst of all of this, a terrorist is at large in the city. A sweet story of love for each other, for a dog and a dog’s love for them. Written with a NYC and Jewish based perspective. So much fun.

You let people into your home with a suicide bomber on the loose? I doubt if he’s house hunting.

He has loved her for so long that he can no longer distinguish between passion and familiarity.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming gem ...so sweet and poignant!

[Skyler Luttrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, too, would like to be a dachshund named Dorothy.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this based on a review by Ann Patchett, I enjoyed it very much, but it just ended? I wanted to know more. :).

[Melissa Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful piece of writing. A slice of life so tender and sweet. It left me wanting to know more about what happens later with Ruth and Alex (and of course Dorothy).

[Doug Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book - both light-hearted and serious. With frequent interludes from Dorothy, the dog, juxtaposing humor, fear, and growing old.

[Irene Croal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unintentionally I read this over four or five happy sittings over one weekend, mirroring the time setting of the story. Though sitting in my roomy Scottish House I was transported into the habits, food, bustle and fears of Manhattan apartment living. The characters were warmly drawn but mostly I liked the unexpected voice of the central character, Dorothy and the kindness and easy compassion of all her human carers. A thoroughly enjoyable read.