“Things in this creation feel a little backwards right now, so you can call me ‘Dog,’” declares the Rottweiler who narrates Frisk’s hefty, idiosyncratic debut. That dog claims, at the novel’s start, to be nothing less than God, currently living through one of many Earthly lives as a dog. This time, that dog—eventually called Doofus—is a runt who urinates all over. After weeks in an abusive home, that dog is taken in by “The Babes”—a DJ and a model who say “babe” a lot. Young, artistic, stoned, and certain that “the universe would jump in and help them out without them even asking,” the Babes plan to drive to Costa Rica in their RV at the turn of the millennium, with Doofus and Ruka, the blind Pit Bull who shows Doofus how to be a good guard dog. As the Babes travel often from Florida to Minnesota, trying to get on track, Doofus and Ruka help each other understand canine and human lives—and, eventually, help Delux, the DJ, through heartbreak.
While the dog-as-God concept powers the novel’s opening pages, the bulk of Paws to Prophecies is earthly, as Doofus shares a dog’s-eye view of the Babes’ everyday hustles. In transient lives, of course, no day is ordinary, and Frisk’s storytelling finds the Babes in frequent conflict with cops and occasionally brushing against history. (The World Trade Center and MTV make surprising appearances.) The throughline is the dogs’ continual adaptation, especially as Delux faces office work, apartments, eviction, and other dispiriting elements of a more traditional life.
Through it all, the dogs serve as more than just companions to Delux. As Ruka puts it, they “teach” and help “heal his soul”—even if Doofus can’t stop making hilarious messes. The relationships are touching, and the dog dialogue is funny and wise, but the episodic storytelling, protracted length, and low stakes diminish narrative momentum. The final chapters, though, offer unexpected emotional jolts while digging into the big ideas of God-as-dog (or vice versa).
-Publishers Weekly
Testimonial: “(This) story is romance, friendship and family, loyalty, bravery, love and trust, being creative and open, and being a good human and allowing ourselves to love even when it hurts—plus, honestly, a million more—all readers will be able to identify with this.” ~Editor~
“The storytelling is masterful with an urgency that keeps you hooked even in the quieter moments. You can’t help but root for the main characters-they’re so lovable and inspiring. You’ll laugh from your gut, cry from your heart, and feel every emotion in between as you follow their journey.” ~Reader~
Authors Notes:
One day someone told me to write my story and I told them they were crazy. I was only 30 and still alive.. who does that? One day while everything was falling apart in life, my mom then sent me the book, Marley and Me... then my cousin sent me the book, The Art of Racing in the Rain... Both books were great, but then I looked at my dog and realized he has a way cooler story spending the first 5 years of his life in a RV with me, a woman, and a blind Pitbull, so I wrote his story. Once complete, I deleted it. The ones who cared about me were upset and convinced me to write it again, so I did, and I failed. I tried again, and again, only to loose the story because of a faulty laptop and no backups. I tried again and as soon as I finished, the laptop crashed and never turned back on and I was not living where there are computer repair places. I found a new slightly used laptop on Amazon, bought it, someone brought it down to me, and I was finally able to re-write this story a 6th time, only this time, from the dogs perspective. Enjoy the story of a dog named Doofus.
Thank you for your time and support!
JJ Frisk
