Under the Wolf, Under the Dog -- a review by Hope Austin

Under the Wolf, Under the Dog

Adam Rapp
****stars

Steve Nugent is a patient at Burnstone Grove, a facility for addicts and people who have attempted suicide. Steve doesn't really fall into either group. So, why is he here? one minute, he's at a gifted school for his math ability, lusting after a girl he can never have, the next, his whole life is falling apart. Through Steve's own writings, we are told the sad and twisted tale of how this came to be. We learn about his mother's death and his brother's suicide, how it affected Steve's father to the point that he's permanently asleep in front of the television. And then we learn about all the crazy stuff Steve did (before and after the deaths) that led him up to that point. While we hear a lot about Steve's past, there's also a focus on the present. Steve experiences all sorts of things with the patients at Burnstone Grove including kissing, losing his virginity, and of course, loss.

While reading this book, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. While there are a lot of things to compare (the aimless wandering, for one) the thing they most have in common is their unflinchingly honest narrators. We get to see the ins and outs of Steve's mind, even the stuff we'd rather not see. What I really loved about was how unexpected some of it was. One minute, you'd be reading about something totally benign, the next it's something completely different. One thing that readers might find confusing is that there's little transition between Steve recounting his past and Steve talking in the present.

When i checked this book out, only one other person had read it. It definitely needs more love.