In Erica Kent's evocative novel Black Dog , we journey through the turbulent landscapes of adolescence, loss, and the blurry lines between reality and dream. It is 1980, and eleven-year-old Jessica Ryder wakes up to discover that John Lennon has been killed. In a misguided effort to assuage her grief, her father shares a beer with her, marking the beginning of a years-long dance with drugs and booze that will lead her down a harrowing, and sometimes darkly humorous, path. Jessica i s full of contradictions: irreverent but romantic, smart but short-sighted, damaged but resilient. She grapples with the weight of tragedy and life, scrapes bottom, and finally discovers the elusive route to recovery, along with a hard truth: the black dog of addiction does not die. Both shadows and shafts of light cut through her story as it spans across the 1980s. Kent's lyrical prose and poignant storytelling create a haunting and unforgettable portrait of growing up in a world both chaotic and beautiful. "Erica Kent's Black Dog takes the reader on a truly terrifying journey, but guess what? I'm so, so glad I fastened my seatbelt, gritted my teeth, and climbed aboard." --Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and the North Bath trilogy of "Fool" novels " Black Dog is a stone-cold miracle, a short, sharp novel about adolescence, addiction, faith, and survival. Our heroine, Jess, is a drugged-out descendent of Holden Caulifeld, soft-hearted, foul-mouthed, insightful to the point of pain. Her language is the language of rage, confusion, and endless yearning, a punk rock poetry that I could listen to forever. Strap in and prepare to thrash." —Steve Almond, author of All the Secrets of the World , and Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow . "In Black Dog , Erica Kent gives us fresh, compelling takes on the family novel, the addiction novel, and the coming-of-age novel. Jess' story is at turns harrowing and funny, and I didn't want to say goodbye to her at book's end. Kent is a brilliant storyteller, and I can't wait to read what she does next. A fantastic debut!" —Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies "This rich and unsettling coming-of-age novel has found an ideal chronicler in Erica Kent. In her lush, distinctive prose, I found a surprise in nearly every line." —Monica Wood, author of How to Read a Book , The One-in-a-Million Boy , and When We Were the Kennedys . "This novel sparkles with all the dark magic of a 1980s 'zine--it's zany, brave, fierce and provocative. Erica Kent has written the definitive bildungsroman for Gen X." —Pagan Kennedy, author of The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story Erica Kent is a winner of the Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards Program. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her work has appeared in StoryQuarterly, The Brooklyn Rail, Conium Review, among other publications. She is the recipient of scholarships from Marilyn Moss Rockefeller and James S. Rockefeller, Jr., Iota Short Forms, the Maine Writers and Publishers Association, and Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Portland, Maine with her family and chunky bulldog. You can find her at ericakent.com