Dogrun

by Arthur Nersesian

mary bellanova came home to her east village apartment, cooked dinner, and fought with her boyfriend, primo. but soon mary realized that primo's silence in front of the tv set was more than just one of his bad primo was actually dead.other guys had abandoned mary before,but primo's exit was by far the most unique. and suddenly mary's life -- defined so far by a string of temp jobs and unfinished short stories -- takes off on a tantalizing adventure as she follows a trail of primo's ex-lovers.arthur nersesian, who created a howling new york odyssey in his smash hit the fuck-up, captures the spirit of the city itself -- jolting and full of surprise -- in this powerful new novel edged with black humor and poignancy.

Genres: Fiction, Literature, Young Adult, New York, Humor, Novels, Contemporary

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Arthur Nersesian is the author of eight novels, including The Fuck-Up (Akashic, 1997 & MTV Books/Simon & Schuster, 1999), Chinese Takeout (HarperCollins), Manhattan Loverboy (Akashic), Suicide Casanova (Akashic), dogrun (MTV Books/Simon & Schuster), and Unlubricated (HarperCollins). He is also the author of East Village Tetralogy, a collection of four plays. He lives in New York City.

From arthurnersesian.com:
www.arthurnersesian.com/

"Arthur Nersesian is a real New York writer. His novels are a celebration
of marginal characters living in the East Village and trying to survive.

Nersesian's books include The Fuck-Up, The East Village Tetralogy, and now just published by a small press based in New York, Manhattan Loverboy. Nersesian has been a fixture in the writing scene for many years. He was an editor for The Portable Lower East Side, which was an important magazine during the 1980s and early 90s.

When The Fuck-Up came out in 1997, MTV Books picked it up and reprinted it in a new edition for hipsters everywhere. Soon Nersesian was no longer known only to a cabal of young bohemians on Avenue A. His work has been championed by The Village Voice and Time Out."

Reviews

[charlie medusa · Rating 2 out of 5]

je crois qu'il faut faire passer des examens aux hommes écrivains avant de les autoriser à écrire le monologue intérieur de personnages féminins. ceci est la take la plus tiède de l'histoire des takes pas chaudes mais seigneur, manifestement il faut croire qu'il est encore besoin de la rappeler

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad, bad chick lit. Written by a man no less. Written by a man who has written books that I love. Boo.

[katy *ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

instant classic

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINAL full review:
This is the fourth Nersesian novel I've read, and as with the others I enjoyed the experience greatly.

They say Anton Bruckner wrote the same symphony nine times; that each work was just a variation on the others, and that's how I feel when I read Nersesian. His characters are typically young working stiffs in New York, often a paycheck away from disaster, rebounding from love lost and trying to piece together the lives of their lost objects of affection. There are typically several narratives, ones in the present and also reminiscences that tie into the present narrative. His characters are post-modern cynics but with hearts of gold, sort of. Nersesian is kind of a po-mo Damon Runyon. His books move along so fast and taste like candy that you sometimes can overlook all the fearless and shameless deus ex machina coincidences he piles on to keep things forging ahead. He knows New York better than just about any writer alive, and reading any of his books makes you feel like you know the streets, the lofts, the bars and the people. The books have serious themes, examining relationships mainly, and yet are wonderfully witty all the same. Nersesian has mad skills and in this book he even has the confidence to make his first-person protagonist a woman.

FINAL:
The book was charming. The heroine of the story is a 29-year-old floater in the current of New York life: temp secretarial worker, Kinko's copy clerk, part-time girl punk bassist, frustrated author, etc. Her comic adventures begin with the death of her no-good artist boyfriend; the more she tries to purge him from her life, including misadventures trying to get rid of his ashes and inadvertent bonding with the dog he left behind (the "dogrun" in the nearby park becomes an important center of action in the book), the more she finds out about him and becomes increasingly drawn into the intersecting orbits of people he knew directly or indirectly, mainly a long string of girlfriends. Along the way there's a flavorful account of New York City life, and even some toe-sucking thrown in for good measure. And there's a mysterious father figure from her past, Joey, who may have some secrets of his own. Nersesian builds layer upon layer a rich interweave as he adds to his cast of characters and somehow manages to tie up all the complexities surprisingly well by the end, probably better than in the other books I've read by him to date. I still like "The Fuck Up" the most; I found that that one was more of a page turner and flowed better for me, but this one runs a close second, and has a less schmaltzy ending.

I've given this three stars for being a fun read and an extra star for Nersesian's assured and vivid and seemingly effortless style.

As point of reference these are the other Nersesian books I've read and each has my reviews.

The Fuck-Up (1997)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25...

Manhattan Loverboy (2000)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20...#

Suicide Casanova (2002)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a little surprised I finished this, because there was hardly anything at the start to keep me going. The writing wasn't strong, the story was full of seemingly pointless details and bland, unnecessary description, and despite having a female narrator and characters that were mainly women, the book somehow managed to be practically all about men. Nevertheless, it picked up a bit about halfway through and I knocked the rest of it off in a couple of hours. It went to some unexpected places and things came together interestingly in the end, but overall I wasn't impressed with the generalizations made throughout the book about women and men (not to mention some uncomfortable racial commentary), and the narrator wasn't given enough of a personality for my liking.
They say it's better to have a good story to tell than to write with skill; this book didn't really showcase either. I think my making it to the end says more about my inability to leave something unfinished than the draw of the book.

[John DiCorato · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun, easy read. I found the protagonist, Mary, to be a little dull at times but for the most part she was pretty likable. There were some times that I wanted to slap her, though. The supporting characters are pretty good, too- and there are a LOT of them. But, they're all fleshed out pretty well and by the end of the novel their presence makes sense. However, I ultimately was left kind of wonder what the point was? I understand the story, but I just didn't understand why any of it was happening, or why it was important. Regardless, it was fun and engaging and I'm definitely going to pick up his other novels at some point.

(I really wanted to give it a 3.5, but that's not possible.) :)

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought, oh no not another wasted city hipster life wanna be fiction. Temp jobs, no money. Clubs every night, no life. Girlfriends who aren't and boyfriends who shouldn't be - scary wackos who come too close. A tiny tenement walk up, tub in the kitchen, grimy grated windows look out at nothing. Roaches everywhere.

And then about half way through, something switched - that wanna be became a person with some integrity, grit, and determination. Someone with the capacity to forgive. Someone at the bottom who had the respect of others for some pretty basic reasons.

And in the end, it was a good book. Real life in the city. Trying to make it. Not always succeeding. But trying.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nima recommended two books to me some time during 2002. They were: Fraud and Dogrun. Both were passed along with the comment, "I think you'll love these books." I loved neither and even disliked Dogrun. I don't know whether this is a review of the book as much as it is a review of Nima's taste (of my taste). But still. Dogrun - yuck.

[Tyema Greenawalt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a step out of the box for me personally but I still found it to be a captivating read. I appreciated the dark humor and grunge writing. I don’t feel like I took anything truly away from it personally, but it wasn’t a total waste of a read.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Jerome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Bellanova, bientôt 30 ans, retrouve son petit ami Primo mort sur le canapé en rentrant chez elle après le travail. Avec dorénavant pour seul compagnon le chien de Primo, elle part à la recherche des proches de ce dernier, afin de mieux comprendre ce qu’a été sa vie avant leur rencontre. Parcourant les rues de l’East village, elle navigue comme une âme en peine dans un New-York undergound, faisant des découvertes surprenantes sur Primo, que certaines de ses anciennes conquêtes considèrent comme « la plus grosse merde que cette ville à la con ait jamais expulsée. »
J’ai découvert Arthur Nersesian avec le réjouissant « Fuck up », récit halluciné de la descente aux enfers d’un pauvre gars poursuivi par la poisse. Il réutilise ici quelques ingrédients de ce roman « culte », à savoir le New-York interlope, un protagoniste dans la dèche, qui galère pour garder un emploi stable et fricote avec tout ce que la ville semble proposer de plus tordu. Niveau changement, il met en scène une jeune femme plutôt qu’un garçon et entremêle à ses déboires sentimentalo-financiers une histoire familiale compliquée. C’est toujours à la première personne, toujours un peu crasseux et sans langue de bois, tout ce que j’aime.
Mary est lucide sur sa situation, pleine d’autodérision, consciente de ses limites et consciente d’être dans la mouise jusqu’au cou, même si pour ses amies encore plus en galère qu’elle, tout lui sourit : elle ne s’est pas retrouvée avec un gamin sur les bras alors qu’elle n’a pas les moyens de l’élever, elle ne boit pas, elle ne se drogue pas, n’a pas besoin qu’un mec la maltraite et surtout, elle n’est pas complètement folle. Que demander de plus en effet ?
Arthur Neresian fait une fois encore de Big Apple le cœur battant de son roman. Plus apaisé, moins sombre, moins-tragi-comique et jusqu’au-boutiste que Fuck up, ce Dog Run n’en reste pas moins une lecture fort agréable, dressant le tableau haut en couleur d’une faune New-yorkaise aussi excentrique que fascinante.

[Culturevsnews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary, personnage principal de Dogrun, revient un soir dans son appartement de l’East Village et découvre Primo, son petit ami, inerte devant la télévision. Ce moment de choc est le point de départ d’une aventure aussi imprévisible que révélatrice. Le roman débute sur une note de désarroi et de confusion, et le contraste entre la banalité de la scène et l’ampleur du drame donne le ton à l’ensemble de l’histoire.

Avec le chien de Primo comme seul lien tangible avec le défunt, Mary se lance dans une quête pour retrouver les proches de Primo et comprendre qui il était vraiment. Ce voyage, qui la mène à travers les rues vibrantes et variées de New York, devient un parcours initiatique où elle croise des personnages aussi hauts en couleur que divers. Ces rencontres surprenantes, à la fois touchantes et déconcertantes, révèlent les couches cachées de la vie de Primo, tout en mettant en lumière les propres contradictions et aspirations de Mary.

Le roman de Nersesian se distingue par sa manière vivante et cynique de dépeindre la ville de New York et ses habitants. L’humour de Nersesian est un outil puissant pour explorer des thèmes profonds comme l’identité, la perte et la quête de sens. Mary, avec son mélange de naïveté et de détermination, se confronte à une galerie de personnages pittoresques et souvent peu recommandables, ce qui accentue l’absurdité et la beauté de sa quête.

Mary est accompagnée de sa meilleure amie Zoe, d’une série de petits boulots qui font partie de son quotidien, et d’un groupe de punk rock amateur qui reflète l’esprit anarchique de son existence. Cette configuration permet à Nersesian de tordre les clichés sur la jeunesse new-yorkaise et de créer un portrait authentique et souvent décalé de ses personnages.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a girl wandering through life and realizing it is not going to be a success.

words of wisdom:
"How long could I exchange the priceless years of my youth into thirteen-dollar-an-hour paychecks and grind that into nothing? I felt like I was paying my dues over and over for a membership into hell. Primo’s death had truly smacked me with the awful realization that all life eventually comes down to is an unexpected fuck-you ending."

"Until the last twenty years or so people got a sense of pride and even identity out of their jobs. They had careers. My generation, though, consists mainly of people who despise their jobs and have to find other things to look forward to."

"An age of lowered expectations came with some ready-made benefits. Nowadays the standards had plummeted so far that I failed even at being a failure."

Unfortunately I felt like I understood her. Liked the failure at being a failure quote. Even with the crap I have been through (my own doing and bad choices) I still am way better than lots of others. Woo hoo! not a failure!

[Andrea DeShetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dogrun" by Arthur Nersesian is a novel that offers a glimpse into the gritty and often bleak side of New York City. The story follows the life of a struggling writer in the East Village, exploring the unconventional characters he encounters and the challenges he faces.

Nersesian's writing style is straightforward, and he effectively captures the urban atmosphere. However, the narrative may feel somewhat disjointed at times, and the characters, while unique, can be challenging to connect with on a deeper level.

The novel does have moments of dark humor and an authentic depiction of the city's underbelly, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you're a fan of unconventional narratives and don't mind a bit of a rough-around-the-edges feel, "Dogrun" might be worth a read. However, if you prefer more traditional storytelling, this book might not be for you.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Arthur Nersesian's The Fuck-Up when I read it several years ago; despite searching for his other titles in the meantime, they have been rather difficult to find. I ordered a heavily discounted copy of Dogrun online, and was very much looking forward to it. I liked the general idea here, but felt as though it was trying too hard to be clever and edgy. It feels quite dated, and I was never overly interested in any of the characters. Nersesian's prose is interesting and rather different, but I was distinctly underwhelmed with this novel; it was not darkly amusing, as I was expecting it to be, and despite the fact that it was a quick read, elements of it still felt too drawn out. I am oscillating between 2 and 3 stars for this one.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

a smart, hilarious and poignant east village novel
Nersesian strings together several of the most original twists i’ve ever read, all gut wrenching.
in this book about gender relations Nersesian wisely groundd Mary in her friendship with Zoe. and her betrayal is excruciating and logical
the import of the Joey twist continues to grow through the end of the book and we feel her unspoken shame and rage at him
am absolute shocker of an ending that makes perfect plot and thematic sense
then more postmortem revelations from Zoe
the great novel of the Tompkins Square dogrun, where I used to hang out in college
he doesn’t need to tell us Mary’s dad is basically Primo
ends on a hopeful note in female friendship.

[Nabeeha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly funny. Mary is so so funny. The deadpan humour really works with her character, it normally feels forced especially when men are writing women.

The ending, like the last 50 pages so much happened and it kinda felt rushed but Mary’s wit saved it.

Mary’s whole quarter life crisis? (Idk she’s 30). Even tho I’m not 30, I think it’s very relatable for a future me.

Also do we just never address the fact that she kinda had a crush on “Joey” who turned out to be her dad.... ..... .....

4 stars cuz the plot wasn’t evenly distributed.

[Tyler Cheney · Rating 4 out of 5]

U have read another book by the same author that is one of my favorite books. This one felt similar but not quite as good. It felt like the author was trying to wrap up loose ends right at the end as if he ran out of time. And although it had some NY details in it felt much less artsy or descriptive despite being about a writer/artist type character struggling to make it. I liked the book, but it won’t be in my favorite list. It was a solid, middle of the road, just entertaining enough book. The sex scenes were pretty funny though.

[Adam Helsel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad turn of the millennium proto hipster schlock. Almost nothing happens in this book. It’s like Bret Easton Ellis without the edginess or possibility of a serial killer or vampire. Not one character is likable. I used to kind of scoff/cringe at the idea of a book/movie being less credible because it’s about a woman written by a man (or about blacks, written by whites etc etc) but this is exhibit A. I don’t know how “dangerous” it is (this is a stupid tween novel) but it’s certainly lame.

[Eric Engleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp through the East Village filled with quirky denizens getting by on side-hustles, band practice and friends. It’s a light-hearted, quick read. Perfect entertainment.

I gave it 4, since I lived the artsy, hand-to-mouth lifestyle in NYC. It felt very familiar to me. If you haven’t done it give it a shot. If you’re “too old” try it in Paris or Amsterdam or somewhere in Europe or in South America. You can always have a second chance.

[Chamidae Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard for me to review. It bothers me this is written by a man i think it would have been more enjoyable if it were written by a woman. The writing style was a bit underwhelming but it was a relatively easy read

[emmer jaysin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ending of book just felt so sex and the city—sisterhood of the traveling man

like always nersesian has a way of making the book twist and turn and make u say what the fuck. overall good book, funny story, i hope howard & mary get together, and i wish he had more books for me to read

[Anastasia Smallwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took me a while to get through. I wasn’t enthralled by it but did find myself wondering if the down on her luck main character would pull through. Not exactly the most engaging book but I did find a smile at the ending.

[Johnny Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dostoevsky's "Demons", but without dignity.

[Krystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to force myself to finish it. Each new character is more annoying than the last. I think a few times there was humor intended but that fell short also. Kind of a bummer.

[Amber Wiser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. It was chick lit which I guess I didn’t really expect but it was a decent story.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot filled with petty bullshit you don't really care about. And why does almost every male try to sleep with Mary...

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one of those books you can only find yourself reading going to or from New York City.

[DOMINIQUE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drôle et un peu déjanté, j'ai beaucoup aimé histoire et personnages. Très new-yorkais.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked most aspects of this book, but it took a longtime to start liking Mary. It dragged in the middle. I do like his writing style.