Dog of the South

Summary

As a novelist of unique wit and vision, Charles Portis has garnered accolades from the likes of Jonathan Lethem, Nora Ephron, Sam Shepard, and Stephen King. His classic novel The Dog of the South is a perfect invitation into this master’s brilliantly singular view of America. The Dog of the South is the story of Ray Midge tracking down his wife, Norma—who has run off with her first husband—by following credit card receipts (his credit card!). The trail leads from Arkansas down to Mexico, and into Honduras, where Midge gets entangled with Dr. Reo Symes in his broken-down bus, “The Dog of the South.” Symes is a pure Portis character—a crazily optimistic dreamer obsessed with an elusive writer. As Midge chases Norma and tries to sort the true from the false, Portis spins an extraordinary novel of deep longing and comic eloquence.