The character of Brown Dog is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's Siddhartha. Brown Dog is always on the lookout for a good fishing river, a night of carnal pleasure, or an odd job that pays enough to buy a six-pack. He is happiest when he is in the woods of Michigan and flying under society's radar. He is a flawed every-man with simple tastes and a pure heart whose bare-knuckled fighting skills, occasional poor judgment, and adherence to his own set of rules rather than the law of the land often land him in one sort of trouble or another. He does his very best to take care of those who can't take care of themselves, even when he's having a hard time meeting his own needs. This book collects all of the various Brown Dog novellas into one (along with one new B.D. novella) so lovers of Brown Dog can immerse themselves in his off-kilter hero's journey.
I am so fond of the character of Brown Dog. As someone who has lived in and has strong memories of the U.P., I also love the northern Michigan setting – I recognize the remote towns, natural features, and woodsy environments described in these stories. After reading the last page and closing this book, I found myself both exhilarated by the beauty of a story well-told, and sad because there are no more Brown Dog adventures to read. However, there are many more of the canny wordsmith Jim Harrison's books for me to delve into and I look forward to those.
%2B-%2Bsmaller%2Bsize%2B(1).jpg)
