Buster: A Dog

EVER WONDER WHAT GOES ON IN THE MIND OF A DOG?Buster is the story of one dog's lifelong journey, as told by the animal himself.

A strong and proud boxer, he spends his early days with a loving family in a public housing complex in Washington, DC. Abruptly, he is taken away by an abusive, alcoholic man, plunging Buster into a challenging, nightmarish existence. Over the course of his life, he will experience homelessness, tragedy, a harrowing stay in a shelter, and acts of kindness, including his adoption by an older gentleman grieving the death of his wife.

At his peak, Buster lives with a young marijuana dealer who runs a profitable but dangerous business in the city. Along the way, Buster befriends other dogs and witnesses the best and worst aspects of humanity. As the seasons change, and change again, he begins to understand the finality of existence and in turn learns to appreciate the gift of life.

Buster is not a private eye story; it's not even a crime novel. But D.C.'s mean streets are somehow never far away, as we follow the life and times of a feisty but proud boxer named Buster who narrates his own story . . . The novella follows Buster as he's bounced from home to home . . . always with a sharp-edged matter of factness that recalls such other classics of doggie lit as Albert Terhune's Lad: A Dog, and Jack London's The Call of the Wild . . . Pelecanos offers a clear-eyed, surprisingly moving (and even occasionally funny) view of not just a dog's life but of America itself, for better or worse, and as the novel draws to its inevitable conclusion, even the hardest of the hard may feel a little something.-- "Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine"
Buster: A Dog encapsulates Pelecanos themes regarding bad behavior and redemption, and references to DC streets like Georgia Avenue, but it is told--literally--by a dog who grew up in a public housing complex, and later is owned by both an abusive drunk and a drug dealer.-- "Washington City Paper"
The novella is a quirky genre, and Mr. Pelecanos's Buster stands out even within its peculiar ranks. There's no slobbering desire to please from this dignified narrator, who proves a sleek contrast with the insipid froth of Lassie.-- "Wall Street Journal"
An astonishing and imaginative odyssey from master storyteller George Pelecanos, Buster is more than the tale of a dog's life. With its poignant twists and turns, joys and heartbreak, this dog's journey mirrors much of what we all face in navigating the beauty and wickedness of our world. This novella is told with unforgettable wit and universal truths through the eyes of our fine boxer, and sparkles with DC's magic.--Morowa Yejidé, author of Creatures of Passage

GEORGE PELECANOS is the author of twenty-two novels and story collections set in and around Washington, DC, and has been the recipient of numerous international writing awards. He is a screenwriter, essayist, and television writer/producer whose credits include The Wire, Treme, The Deuce, and We Own This City. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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