Dogfight, A Love Story

125 Pages·2010·1.6 MB·English

by  Matt Burgess

DOUBLEDAY
This book is a work of (cid:21)ction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used (cid:21)ctitiously. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright (c) 2010 by Matt Burgess
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
www.doubleday.com
DOUBLEDAY and the DD colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Burgess, Matt
Dog(cid:21)ght, A love story / Matt Burgess.--1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Hispanic American youth--Fiction. 2. Drug dealers--Fiction. 3. Brothers--Fiction. 4. Street life--Fiction. 5. Queens (New York, N.Y.)--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3602.U746D64 2010
813'.6--dc22
2009041885
eISBN: 978-0-385-53299-0
v3.1
For Georgia Banks

When the crack of doom arrives ...
man will (cid:21)ee from his brother.
--The Qur'an
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Part One
Chapter 1 Little Round Pills
Chapter 2 The Incredible Floating Fetus
Chapter 3 A Brief Interlude on the Art of Talking Shit
Chapter 4 The Heist, Part One
Chapter 5 Ricochet
Part Two
Chapter 6 From the New York State Department of Correctional Services
Chapter 7 Reentry
Chapter 8 Batista Bros., Inc.
Chapter 9 The Many Loves of Vladimir Shifrin
Chapter 10 The Department of Worry
Chapter 11 The Door Factory
Chapter 12 Dog(cid:54)ght
Part Three
Chapter 13 From the New York City Department of Records
Chapter 14 The Birthday Party

Acknowledgments
"I'd like to thank my mother" is something my mother's been whispering in my ear since I started this book, and so, straightaway, I'd like to thank
my mother, Sandy Burgess. And my father, George Burgess, the best man I know. I'd also like to thank Charles Baxter, Julie Schumacher, and Ethan
Rutherford, who all read multiple drafts of this novel and o(cid:38)ered invaluable feedback; my friends and my siblings, without whom I wouldn't have
any stories; my agent, Leigh Feldman, for her generosity, enthusiasm, and support; Andrew R., who answered countless questions about the Queens
underworld (and who asked that his full name not be used); and all the wonderful people at Doubleday, especially Bill Thomas, who made this
book better in innumerable ways, and Nora Reichard, who put every word of every sentence on trial for its life. Finally, I'd like to thank Georgia
Banks, to whom I have dedicated this book, along with my love and my life.