Book Summary and Reviews of The Dog by Joseph O'Neill

Book Summary

The author of the best-selling and award-winning Netherland now gives us his eagerly awaited, stunningly different new novel: a tale of alienation and heartbreak in Dubai.

Distraught by a breakup with his long-term girlfriend, the hero of this novel leaves New York to take an unusual job in a strange desert metropolis. In a Dubai at the height of its self-invention as a futuristic Shangri-La, our protagonist struggles with his new position as the "family officer" of the capricious and very rich Batros family. And he struggles, even more helplessly, with the "doghouse," a seemingly inescapable condition of culpability in which he feels himself constantly trapped - even if he's just going to the bathroom, or reading e-mail, or scuba diving.

A comic and philosophically profound exploration of what has become of humankind's moral progress, The Dog is told with Joseph O'Neill's hallmark eloquence, empathy, and storytelling mastery. It is a brilliantly original, achingly funny fable for our globalized times.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The protagonist of The Dog describes Dubai as a city of contradictions: hypermodern in some respects, but antiquated in others. How does this tension between modernity and tradition manifest throughout the novel? In what situations is the city's dual nature most apparent? Most troubling?
2. Discuss the protagonist's relationship with Ali. In light of the protagonist's own hesitations in his role as Family Officer, how would you describe the parameters of Ali's job? How did the protagonist react to Ali's termination?
3. The protagonist's interactions with Alain provide many humorous moments throughout The Dog. Describe their relationship? How does the protagonist's understanding of wealth and privilege change based on his ...