Word: dogged
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...DOG DAYS...
After reading Daniel Lyons debut novel, Dog Days, one cannot help but be dazed and confused. Although the 224-page book certainly reads very quickly and has its humorous moments, the basic premise upon which it is founded makes little to no sense. The novel could have been a much better first effort had it not relied so heavily upon ethnic, particularly Irish and Italian, stereotypes, homophobic jokes, scatological humor and ridiculous portrayals of Mafia types in Boston's North End. Had Lyons focused more on developing real characters and a stimulating plot, Dog Days might actually be a worthwhile...
...Dog Days centers around Reilly, a twenty-something software developer living in the North End of Boston with his roommate, a fellow computer nerd. Reilly's character is completely underdeveloped, and the reader never understands why he makes his bad decisions without ever questioning them himself. For example, for the sake of a petty vendetta, Reilly puts himself, his roommate, his girlfriend and a slew of other characters in great physical danger by stealing the prize pooch of a local Mafioso. Reilly does not remotely consider the idea that he or his friends might be killed for their stupidity until...
...only is the plot of Dog Days a total cliche--it ends sappily ever after when Reilly, the yuppie boy, realizes love can somehow outweigh money--the characters are stereotyped to the point of offending. Throughout the novel, all the Italians living in Reilly's North End neighborhood are either connected with the Mafia or are vulgar and stupid thugs, while the Boston Irish are crude drunks (including Reilly's mother!). The women are beautiful yet emotionally damaged by problematic relationships with their fathers. Even Reilly's supposed best friend and roommate cannot escape the ethnic pigeonholing, as he hails...
While it has recently become fashionable to occasionally poke fun at political correctness, particularly in the entertainment industry--take, for example, films like Bulworth and the highly rated television show "Politically Incorrect"--the undercurrent of homophobia and racism in Dog Days goes much too far. There seems to be some kind of degrading homosexual joke or insinuation in nearly every chapter, not to mention the constant marginalization of the Italians living in the North End. Perhaps Lyons fully intended to explore the pre-existing homoerotic relationship between Reilly and his roommate Even, a scenario that would have admittedly been more...