Dog Days

This is truly inspired writing. It's got grit, humor and wonderful insight into the life of a recent post-grad struggling through the early years of real life. The love story is genuine. The mobsters are Soprano-esquely flawed and human (and this was written pre-Sopranos). The dog is lovable without being a cute manipulative device. My only complaint would be the last fifty pages or so, which seemed to divert from the true heart of what this novel was about. But in the end, it all wraps up nicely and you can forgive Mr. Lyons for a small misstep in an otherwise wonderful read.

This book can be read on many levels, but it really isn't a novel about the mob, or about a greyhound, or about cyberculture. It's a novel about a young man coming to terms with himself and deciding what matters in life.What gives this book it's real power is that the author has done a creditable job of asking the big questions, the questions that we don't seem to have time for anymore. And the vehicle he's done it with stands up as good, fast paced, entertainment as well.John Grisham, a mindnumbing hack of a writer, isn't even in the same league with Lyons; though one might understand why the Grisham fan below sells Lyons short. The comparison with Elmore Leonard is a little more apropos, but Leonard trades in a different currency than Lyons. Lyons' primary characters are people you might know, or want to, while Leonard's are the sort of two dimensional automotons from televisionland you suffer silently every day in the world.The transitions that bother some of the reviewers below are actually accomplished quite seamlessly. I'd submit that the complaints are really that the book you finish reading here is not the book you started out reading. Lyons leads you from what looks like a yuppie computer novel to what looks like a comedic novel to what looks like a crime novel/love story. And finally, at the end you realize that all along it's been all of these and a coming of age story, done with humor, finesse, understanding, and insight. In other words, it's a bit like life itself.Lyons is the kind of writer who has the talent and the instincts to help recreate the novel as meaningful art, in the terms of our times. If he's willing to risk it and if enough people buy his books to motivate the publishing houses to give him the chance.

It reminded me of my college days in Boston. Lyons put down thoughts that we do not dare express outloud. The ending is a little sudden.

Lyons manages to bring together the disparate worlds of young computer programmers and old-world street thugs with great skill. The author's skillful use of humor makes this book a pleasure to read, but it is ultimately his compassion for his characters and his ability to make the reader care about them that make Dog Days memorable.

This novel is a joy. Seldom have I read a contemporary novel that manages to be both funny and penetrating, that is able to tell a great story, create an original world, and probe into the philosophical lacunae of the human soul.