Customer Reviews

Dogface

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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.

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.

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.

Fourteen-year-old Loren is a special forces operative without a mission. Ever since he found out that his absent father was in Special Ops, Loren has been obsessed with the military. He knows survival skills, weaponry, explosives and tactics. The only problem? Too often, Loren's military expertise is aimed in the wrong direction, as when he lights a golf course on fire to rebel against a golf pro who is his mother's latest in a long, long string of short-term boyfriends.

This time, though, Loren's mother (not to mention her boyfriend) is fed up with Loren's aimless destruction. They sign him up for Camp Ascend!, a quasi-military wilderness camp that promises to turn troublemakers around in six weeks or less --- for a mere $17,000. Even before his mom leaves the parking lot, Loren is sure that there is something wrong with Camp Ascend! He has no idea just how twisted the camp is, though, until his mom is too far away to help him.

To start, there's Ray Kellogg (a.k.a. the Colonel), the head of the place, who isn't really an ex-military man at all. He is more like an ex-con. There's his wife, Kitty, a high-maintenance lady who vents her frustration at being stuck in the sticks by ordering thousands of dollars of clothes and curtains through catalogs. And then there's Donovan, Kitty's no-good brother, who despises kids, hates the Colonel and has a sadistic streak.

Soon Loren is on the mission of a lifetime, figuring out which of the other campers he can trust, befriending some of them and discovering that maybe a mission can be more rewarding if you actually have something important to say.

It's hard to believe that DOGFACE is Jeff Garigliano's first novel. A magazine editor and former navy officer, Garigliano exhibits a facility for storytelling often found only in more experienced work. For about the first hundred pages, readers aren't sure whether to loathe Loren or root for him, whether to put the book down in disgust or keep reading in horrified fascination. After that, though, the choice is clear, and readers will find themselves just as caught up by the dark, twisted world of Camp Ascend! as are its wonderfully well-developed prisoners, er, campers.

Although DOGFACE is marketed as an adult novel, Garigliano's realistic, sympathetic portrayals of teenagers, as well as the story's setting, would make this book an excellent, thought-provoking choice for mature young readers.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

This book is very clever and fun! A great read and wonderful for adults and young adults. I am sharing this book with my kids.

The book was recommended to me. Was not sure about it since the title was vague but very glad I read the book.

The story was well-written and kept you guessing. Even though the story is about teens it does not read as such. It was a tight thriller which kept you wondering what would come next and how it would end.

It was a satisfying read and after you are done you wonder what happens to Loren later on in life.

Highly recommend.

This is a very good book because it manages to be both sad and funny, which is to say it is perceptive. It is a fast read, too, without being insubstantial. I am hoping for a second novel from Garigliano.

Well-written. Good character development. Light and entertaining. My book club read this book because this author grew up in our community. I found that it would be a much more appropriate read for teens and young adults. I am not sure if we will have much more than 10 minutes of discussion on this book. It seems very similar to "Holes."