Dogface - Softcover

Garigliano, Jeff

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1596922591 ISBN 13: 9781596922594

Publisher: MacAdam/Cage, 2008

Synopsis

14-year-old Loren is the unlikely hero of Dogface. Loren's obsessed with all things military: Special Forces, secret missions, rules and regulations it s all so finite and orderly. Especially compared to other parts of Loren's life. His mom, for example, keeps introducing him to a string of loser boyfriends, and each time Loren responds by dreaming up creative ways to trash the boyfriends stuff. The latest one, a golf pro, is so irritating that Loren decides to stage a night raid and vandalize the pro's beloved golf course. When the mission goes embarrassingly awry, Loren s mom sends him to Camp Ascend!, a remote facility that specializes in whipping mixed-up teens back into shape. Camp Ascend! was founded by Ray Kellogg, a.k.a. the Colonel, who claims a distinguished military background but is really a con man with zero military experience but a few convictions for fraud. The Colonel runs the place with his overly tanned wife (who hates being out in the woods) and her manic brother (who doesn t like kids). When Loren figures out what the camp and the Colonel are really about, he finds himself with a real-life mission: redeem himself and the other delinquents at Camp Ascend!, and take the place down.

About this title

About the Author

After a career in the military, Jeff Garigliano is now a magazine editor in New York City. This is his first novel.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A 14-year-old boy with an affinity for all things military makes for an extremely likable protagonist in former naval officer Garigliano's dark, wonderfully twisted debut. Habitually uprooted by his beautiful mother, Cecile, Loren despises her ever-revolving carousel of dolt boyfriends, so he revolts by torching the golf course where Cecile's latest dish, golf pro Tom, tees off. Loren gets caught, and Cecile reluctantly ships him off to Camp Ascend!—a six-week rehabilitation program for young miscreants headed by Ray Kellogg, aka the Colonel, an ex-con scam artist who charges a $7,000 fee for treatment at the ramshackle campground staffed by the Colonel's suntanned, heavily coiffed wife, Kitty, and Kitty's sadistic, malevolent brother Donovan, who likes to play drill sergeant and torture kids. Loren, clever and smitten with pretty fellow inmate Liz, uses the skills of the seasoned operative to navigate and, eventually, defuse the escalating dangers at Camp Ascend! in a thrilling denouement. What initially seems like a wacky teenage romp morphs into a harrowing story about resilience, redemption and the will to survive. Garigliano excels with this sinister, superlative debut. (Jan.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: MacAdam/Cage
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1596922591
• ISBN 13: 9781596922594
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 360