Nose Down, Eyes Up

A Novel

By: Merrill Markoe

Narrated by: David Drummond

At 47, Gil is the world's oldest 22-year-old man. He lives rent-free as a handyman in the L.A. summer house of a couple of rich retirees who only come out for vacations. Gruff, shrewdly observant, but perplexed and beleaguered by women since his nasty divorce, Gil has been dating Sara, an animal communicator, long enough to converse freely with all four of his dogs (especially Jimmy, the alpha).

When Jimmy learns Gil isn't his biological father, he demands to meet his birth mother, a dog owned by Gil's sexy ex-wife, Eden, now remarried to a much wealthier man. Then Gil's employers take their vacation, forcing him to relocate and setting in motion an odyssey that ultimately shines a light on the root of Gil's problems with women and adulthood by forcing him to move in with his mother.Filled with the sharp social and sexual insight - and an uncanny understanding of the thought processes of dogs - that have become Merrill Markoe's trademarks, Nose Down, Eyes Up is a howlingly funny story of love, sex, and the meaning of family.

©2009 Merrill Markoe (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Markoe's hilarious dialogue should be a must-read for dog lovers." (Publishers Weekly)
"Markoe's satire is right-on, even if, as often happens in real life, the dogs are more interesting than their owners. " (Booklist)

Witty with a wet nose

Merrill Markoe makes me laugh. Even just talking about mundane things--she can make me guffaw. The human story is well written and funny, as well, but hearing the thoughts of the dogs is worth the price of the book. I loved it.

A feel good, witty story...

I purchased this after I read the the book. And.....I enjoyed it so much more! It is the kind of story that stirs up every emotion we have inside- joy, anger, sadness, excitement, humor, contentment, etc.... It is full of witty dialogue, heart-wrenching decisions, and life lessons....given to us honestly and simply by man's best friend, a dog.
This is a must-have for my fellow dog lovers who believe that life isn't complete without a faithful canine by your side!

good little story if you like doggies

It is clear from this book that the author loves dogs and even more so loves writing about dogs. The premise is good, a man struggles to regain some form of unity in his life while his dogs provide us with doggy insight and comic relief. The story is actually good and the plot flows nicely. The characters are well developed, even the pets. It's quite funny in parts and the narrator's tone is perfect for this easy-to-read audiobook.

Dog conversations very entertaining, not much else

The parts of the book where the main character speaks with the dogs were very entertaining and funny, however everything else was disappointing. The plot was all over the place, with family squabbles, girlfriends, ex-wives, natural disasters, and non-stop drinking. It's hard to sympathize (much less actually like) the main character - as he lies and cheats his way through the whole story, spends most of the book half-drunk and/or sleeping in the back of his van, waffling about whether he likes his girlfriend, and antagonizing just about everybody he meets.

Wish I could get my money back

This book was horrible. I thought it would have lots of cute doggie stuff in it. It has some, but few and far between. Mainly it's about an unlikeable jerk of a guy, and is full of bad language and vulgar situations. I listened until it was halfway through and it got worse, not better. After getting through half of it, I couldn't even finish it, it was so bad.