The Dog

Contemporary China is the setting for Jack Livings' The Dog, an arresting debut collection of short stories, with prose that is tight and compact and stories that are raw and honest.

The title story leads off the collection and immediately strikes a chord, putting the reader on notice for a book of short stories that continue to surprise and give thought. The Dog introduces the reader to a couple, Li Yan and Chen Wei, and Chen Wei's cousin, Zheng, with whom he has purchased a racing dog. Li Yan reads that the Beijing municipal government is cracking down on dog racing, setting up a story about freedom and decisions, pride and marital roles.