Biloxi: A Novel

Written by Mary Miller

Narrated by Danny Campbell

Mary Miller seizes the mantle of Southern literature with this wry tale of middle age and the unexpected turns a life can take.

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 listeners 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), Biloxi affirms Miller's place in contemporary literature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: May 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781684419944

Mary Miller

Mary Miller was a founder member and Director of the Jeely Piece Club, sharing with other local families in establishing self-help and mutual support for parents and children in a Glasgow housing scheme. Later specialising in the care of traumatised children, she carried out a similar role for HIV+ orphans in rural Zimbabwe from 2007-2012. Named Evening Times 'International Scotswoman of the Year' in 2009, her lifelong interest in the care of children in difficult situations drew her to explore Jane Haining’s devotion to the Jewish girls in her care.

Reviews for Biloxi

[hagelstein_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Louis McDonald, Jr., a divorced, "She always knew the best way to hurt me. That's what a good relationship teaches you," friendless, retired insomniac, is sixty-three. He's almost broke, waiting for an inheritance that may not be coming. He's kind of lost in the world. "None of it was my decision, and it had been that way my whole life."He's somewhat estranged from his daughter, definitely from his ex-wife. "If I'd had my doubts about the end of our marriage, I'd only needed to see her for a moment to be reminded." He drinks a little too much. But he obtains a dog under unusual circumstances and she proves to be the spark that he just might need to, not exactly turn things around, but adjust to life a little.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not sure if this book is about anything or why it got published. It wasn’t funny, it wasn’t interesting, it didn’t go anywhere, it just was, which is I ok for some people.

[tytania-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this. The protagonist is a 60-something-year-old male recently retired and divorced. He spends his time in his char, drinking beers, watching bad TV, eating horribly unhealthy foods by the sackful, and avoiding people. He dislikes his ex-brother-in-law who insists on visiting him, and seriously considers changing his phone number to avoid his daughter. His life turns around when he impulsively adopts a dog. I just really loved this story.

[dawnlovesbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Biloxi by Mary Miller. Louis McDonald, Jr. is a middle-aged man who has suffered many losses lately. His wife of 37 years left him, his father died, and he retired from his job without thinking it through, expecting an inheritance check that still hadn’t arrived. He spends his days alone, drinking in front of the television and only going out when necessary. He gets drunk a lot, just so the hangover will remind him that he is alive. One day, on a trip to pick up his medication, he sees he is about to pass his wife on the highway and he makes a quick turn to avoid seeing her. When he does, he comes across a sign for a free dog. He decides to take this dog home with him. When he brings this dog into his home, his life begins to change. “It seemed life held more than I’d ever imagined and all because of a dog.” Everyday becomes an adventure and the dog takes him out into the world again where he begins to come alive again. “The fact that I could love an overweight dog that gagged all the time and couldn’t catch a slice of bologna proved to me that there were other animals, and perhaps even people, out there that I could love. ““When she laid on my chest I could feel her heart beating, how it skipped, and it was different from a human heart but it was a beating heart just the same. I would take care of her, fight for her if I had to."“Dogs would escape and bank accounts would dwindle and women would leave, fuck you every which way, and you would get new ones, or you wouldn’t. It didn’t matter in the least.”This book is about the unexpected turns that life can take. It also about how the love for a dog can change a person’s whole life. “I could continue down the road I’d been on. I knew exactly what that road held. It wouldn’t offer me any surprises and I had never liked surprises, or this was the story I’d told myself all these years, but the story could change. It already had.”Recommended for dog lovers and those who enjoyed reading, “A Man Called Ove.”

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Louis is on the way to the drug store to pick up his diabetes medicine when he sees a sign saying "FREE DOGS" taped to a mailbox and stops to see what the deal is. Then he's on his way home, in the company of a dog named Layla, who "...didn't look particularly smart of energetic or interested in me. In other words, she wasn't anything you might want in a dog." And so begins the story of Louis, a 63 year-old divorcé, who took early retirement on the expectation of a windfall from his deceased father's estate, although the lawyer is no longer returning his calls. He mainly sits in his chair, drinking and watching Naked and Afraid. Can a dog change a life, even one as lackluster and prone to gagging as Layla?This is a novel that relies on the voice of the main character and narrator. Miller's writing is wonderful and she makes what could be a somewhat treacly story a delight to read, rooted in a specific place and full of grit and hope.

[beth.clarke · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A feel-good novel about a cranky 62 year old man who is newly divorced and newly retired. He's not quite sure where he's headed. There are many funny scenes showing his struggles along with his wit. His dreams are things we've all imagined. The book reminded me of The Rosie Project, A Man Called Ove, and Breathing Lessons. The everyday made into a charming novel.