Furs-day Feature - Biloxi Review

So my goal is to take part in the new feature Jo over at Jo's Book Blog has started at least once a month.  On Thursdays, she posts things related to our precious furbabies.  This week I am sharing a review of a recent read.  And make sure to check out Jo's feature each week as well.

TITLE: Biloxi

AUTHOR: Mary Miller

PUBLISHER: Liveright

PUBLISHING DATE: May 21, 2019

FROM GOODREADS: 
Like her predecessors Ann Beattie and Raymond Carver, Mary Miller brings an essential voice to her generation. Building on her critically acclaimed novel, The Last Days of California, and her biting collection, Always Happy Hour, Miller slyly transports readers to her unapologetic corner of the South—this time, Biloxi, Mississippi, home to sixty-three-year-old Louis McDonald Jr. His wife of thirty-seven years left him, his father has passed—and he has impulsively retired from his job in anticipation of an inheritance check that may not come. In the meantime, he watches reality television, sips beer, and avoids his ex-wife and daughter. One day, he stops at a house advertising free dogs and meets overweight mixed-breed Layla. Unexpectedly, Louis takes her, and, newly invigorated, begins investigating local dog parks and buying extra bologna. Mining the absurdities of life with her signature “droll minimalist’s-eye view of America” (Joyce Carol Oates), Mary Miller’s Biloxi affirms her place in contemporary literature. 

MY THOUGHTS: So I have really mixed feelings about "Biloxi."  They don't take away from the fact that I'm glad I picked this book up, but truth be told, I didn't enjoy it as much as I anticipated or hoped.  

Louis McDonald is 63 and just quit his job.  His father recently passed away and expecting to come out on the winning end of the inheritance, he decided why continue working.  He's also recently divorced and to say that his relationship with his family is strained is an understatement.  One day while on the way to the pharmacy, Louis ends up stopping at a local home where they are advertising dogs for sale.  Never considering himself a dog person, he somehow returns home with a dog named Layla and his life will never be the same.  During the next few weeks he learns that the dog wasn't actually "for sale," takes in a wayward individual, tries to mend fences with his daughter and her family, and starts dating.

So I love books featuring dogs and I have a soft spot for grumpy all men.  So in all reality, this book should be a hit.  However, while I loved Layla, and she basically earned a star all by herself for just existing, Louis rubbed me the wrong way.  Now I understand that Louis is older and lives in the South but he came across as a borderline pervert and racist.  At one point, he even talked about how he didn't really like his daughter and how she have her child a stupid name.  Also, when he meets Layla's real owner, he's more fascinated about her yellow underwear showing than he is anything else that is happening in the scene.  Admittedly as the book progressed, some things happened which lessened my initial feelings some, but they never fully left.

This was also an extremely slow paced book.  When I finished, I was left with the feeling that  nothing ever really happened.  Louis did show some character growth, but I just don't think it was enough to rescue the book.  And brace yourself, the dog on the cover?  It doesn't look the way Layla is described.  I found another edition which is much more accurate.  So why couldn't they just use this dog for all covers? 

That being said, if you enjoy books about crotchety old men and cute dogs, you should pick this one up.  It's not a bad read, but it is kind of "meh."

RATING:  3 PAWS (and I actually added one for Layla)