Dogface [Paperback]

Jeff Garigliano (Author)

Book Description

14-year-old Loren is the unlikely hero of Dogface. Loren's obsessed with all things military: Special Forces, secret missions, rules and regulations it s all so finite and orderly. Especially compared to other parts of Loren's life. His mom, for example, keeps introducing him to a string of loser boyfriends, and each time Loren responds by dreaming up creative ways to trash the boyfriends stuff. The latest one, a golf pro, is so irritating that Loren decides to stage a night raid and vandalize the pro's beloved golf course. When the mission goes embarrassingly awry, Loren s mom sends him to Camp Ascend!, a remote facility that specializes in whipping mixed-up teens back into shape. Camp Ascend! was founded by Ray Kellogg, a.k.a. the Colonel, who claims a distinguished military background but is really a con man with zero military experience but a few convictions for fraud. The Colonel runs the place with his overly tanned wife (who hates being out in the woods) and her manic brother (who doesn t like kids). When Loren figures out what the camp and the Colonel are really about, he finds himself with a real-life mission: redeem himself and the other delinquents at Camp Ascend!, and take the place down.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A 14-year-old boy with an affinity for all things military makes for an extremely likable protagonist in former naval officer Garigliano's dark, wonderfully twisted debut. Habitually uprooted by his beautiful mother, Cecile, Loren despises her ever-revolving carousel of dolt boyfriends, so he revolts by torching the golf course where Cecile's latest dish, golf pro Tom, tees off. Loren gets caught, and Cecile reluctantly ships him off to Camp Ascend!—a six-week rehabilitation program for young miscreants headed by Ray Kellogg, aka the Colonel, an ex-con scam artist who charges a $7,000 fee for treatment at the ramshackle campground staffed by the Colonel's suntanned, heavily coiffed wife, Kitty, and Kitty's sadistic, malevolent brother Donovan, who likes to play drill sergeant and torture kids. Loren, clever and smitten with pretty fellow inmate Liz, uses the skills of the seasoned operative to navigate and, eventually, defuse the escalating dangers at Camp Ascend! in a thrilling denouement. What initially seems like a wacky teenage romp morphs into a harrowing story about resilience, redemption and the will to survive. Garigliano excels with this sinister, superlative debut. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Rejected by 25 publishers before finally making it into print, former Naval officer Jeff Garigliano’s debut novel is being billed as adult fiction despite its young protagonists and adolescent themes. “I looked at ‘young adult’ books and I didn’t like them and it didn’t belong there,’ states Garigliano. Most critics agreed with him, citing the novel’s black humor, violence, and sex scenes. (Only the Cleveland Plain Dealer felt these elements were “gratuitous, like a sex scene added to a movie to avoid the dreaded ‘PG’ rating.”) Despite the debate over the novel’s proper market and a few slow spots, the critics were pleased with Garigliano’s strong characters, authentic dialogue, and obvious gift for humor that had reviewers laughing out loud.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: MacAdam/Cage (January 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596922591
• ISBN-13: 978-1596922594
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,811,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "The jerks were the easiest to deal with, because the lines were clear.", January 19, 2008

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dogface (Hardcover)

Loren fancies himself a member of the elite Special Forces, looking for a way to manage his helplessness in the face of his mother's revolving door of boyfriends, each with demands the teenager finds it impossible to comprehend, his natural reaction rebellion. By the time Loren acts out against the current boyfriend, the golf pro, his mother and the pro join forces, solving the problem of what to do with the unruly child by sending him to a camp for out-of-control teens. Although the brochure suggests otherwise, the reality is that Camp Ascend! is a huge con job, "The Colonel" fleecing desperate parents and offering little more than a controlled environment with no government restrictions for the safety of the hapless teens. Bullying their young charges, the Colonel, his wife, Kitty, and her brother, Donovan, have no intention of helping the kids, subjecting them to physical extremes and exhausting exercise, punishment the arbitrary method of behavior modification.

After days of frustration, it occurs to Loren that the place is run by three inadequate bumblers- and that escape is possible. Unfortunately, the Neanderthal Donovan is in charge of control and punishment. Kitty spends all her time indoors, ordering from catalogues, cooled by AC, choosing to remain ignorant of the activities at the camp. Likewise, the Colonel focuses only on counting the money in his various offshore accounts, planning their eventual escape should the law close in. The day to day logistics fall to the bully, Donovan, whose misguided rage puts all the kids in serious danger. Everything comes to a crashing halt on one fateful day, Loren and the others playing David to Donovan and the Colonel's Goliath. When the smoke clears, most are left intact, if somewhat battered, the authorities finally taking notice of the real goals of Camp Ascend!.

This is a surprising novel, well-written and engaging. Couched in the offbeat viewpoint of rebellious teens and a trio of abusers, it is tempting to think of this story as a dark comedy. However, the real life lessons are unavoidable: these troublemaking teens come with a variety of issues, undeserving of the brutal treatment they receive at the hands of the mendacious Colonel and his minions. In a country increasingly driven to tough love when faced with family problems, a cottage industry has grown to meets society's demands, most regulated, but many, like Camp Ascend!, a bit too shady for comfort. An innovative writer, Garigliano is a talent to watch. Luan Gaines/ 2008.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ascendant!, January 30, 2008

By 

A. Feiring - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dogface (Hardcover)

Engaging and cinematic from the first moment. The main character, pyromaniac Loren, is an immensely likeable, possible sociopath in the making, merely looking for the love of a good woman, whether his mother or the vegan object of his affection at Camp Ascend! and preferably both.

Gorgeously written and surprising, some scenes and characters seem to give homage to the best of pulp fiction yet the serious character development and nuance make those nods a completely captivating wink, wink.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This teen SOF wanna-be packs a wallop!, March 1, 2008

By 

R. Ballister "author and naval officer" (Annapolis, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dogface (Paperback)

Loren is a mixed up kid. As such, he gets sent away to Camp Ascend!, which is supposed to be a "boot camp" for troubled teens. However, Loren soon finds out the camp is all a scam, run by "the Colonel." Loren calls upon his knowledge of special forces (gained from years of reading SF books), rallies the other campers, and proceeds to fight back as only an angry 15 year old boy can. What ensues is both exciting and extremely funny, and when this one gets rolling it's hard to put down.
Jeff Garigliano does a great job of developing his characters, and along the way mixes in some pretty comical situations that keep the story light, easy to read, and above all, fun. Don't miss this one.