Dogfight, A Love Story

“With an acute ear for dialogue and the poetry of the street…..a cliche-free depiction of gritty urban reality, reminiscent of Richard Price. But Burgess’s city novel is less ‘Clockers’ than ‘Portrait of the Artist as an Ambivalent Drug Dealer…..bursts of narrative bravado….DOGFIGHT burns through this explosive weekend like a lighted fuse…..takes a mighty swing at this streetwise drama about loyalty and betrayal”–New York Times Book Review

“Arresting and vibrant….electrifying”–Vanity Fair

“Every once in a while you come across a book that completely captures a place. Even if you’ve never been there yourself, it’s like you can see it, smell it, taste it. Theres a new novel out that does that for New York. Specifically: the borough of Queens. Author Matt Burgess nails the places.”–NPR’s Weekend Edition

“The hilarious, harrowing story of an extremely bad weekend in the life of 19-year-old Alfredo Batista, a very small-time drug dealer with some very big problems, including the Mob, a seven-months-pregnant girlfriend, and an ex-con older brother who just might want to bash Alfredo’s head in.  Oh, and there’s the small matter of the pit bull Alfredo needs to steal, for the Homecoming dogfight.  Poor dog.  Poor Alfredo.  I couldn’t stop laughing.”–Ben Fountain, bestselling author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

“Matt Burgess’ ”Dogfight, A Love Story” was my most memorable read of 2010. As the title implies, the novel mixes everyday urban conflict with slice-of-life tenderness and momentary grace. Burgess captures the bass-heavy symphony of the neighborhood and gets the voices just right. Mixing the comedic and dramatic is a tricky thing to pull off, but the author does so with astonishing success. Most surprisingly, this is his literary debut. I can hardly wait to see what he comes up with next.”–George Pelacanos

“[A] talent to watch. He possesses an ear for dialogue that rivals Richard Price and a pacy sense of plot reminiscent of another fantastic recent debut, Josh Bazell’s “Beat the Reaper”. His style is strikingly visual—Mr Burgess doesn’t sketch scenes so much as paint them as big and bright as a playground mural…..Burgess is an energetic and disciplined writer. Most importantly, “Dogfight” is tremendously fun to read.”–The Economist

“Absorbing….rich….Like those before him, Burgess lives and dies by the credibility of his dialogue and details, and his portrayal is clearly the product of much close study.”–Time Out New York 

“Matt Burgess serves up a savory dish with his new novel, but the meat of the story is his writing….[an]exciting and really-tough-to-put-down novel….The plot is fun, original, addictive….The landscape Burgess paints (setting: Jackson Heights, Queens) has the alluring exoticism of a Gauguin….not merely funny or incisive but also feel true, and intimately so, as if revealing to us hidden parts of a world we already know….There’s something more expansive at play here, as we watch Alfredo grapple with his conscience and fall deeper into an unknown yet eerily familiar world.”–Minneapolis Star Tribune




“Sharp wit and enormous heart fill the pages of Dogfight, A Love Story…..intense, emotional and funny….a dazzling debut”–MetroMag


PRAISE FOR DOGFIGHT, A LOVE STORY


“Matt Burgess’s debut novel is a beautifully made, street-smart novel that is both funny and disturbing. Written with an almost furious energy, Dogfight has an amazingly well-rounded cast of characters and a plot that leads up to a violent and probably inevitable climax. This is the best first novel I have read in years.”
—Charles Baxter, author of The Feast of Love and The Soul Thief


“Dogfight takes you on a gritty tour of a city exploding with diversity, violence, and love. Matt Burgess is a major talent, blessed with a unique voice full of humor and an attitude that’s ready to elbow its way into American letters.”
—Ernesto Quiñonez, author of Bodega Dreams