MATT BURGESS
“Like Richard Price and the late, great Elmore Leonard, Matt Burgess is one of those cool, quick, and funny writers who can turn a seemingly routine crime caper into something special.” —Carl Hiassen
Matt Burgess is the author of Dogfight and Uncle Janice. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Minnesota’s MFA program, Matt grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens and currently works as an Assistant Professor of English at Macalester College.
“Uncle Janice is a lowdown masterful contribution to Urban American lit, charismatically written with terrific sly humor and a joyous dead-on ear. An addictive read, one of those books you wish would never end.”
RICHARD PRICE
“Dogfight mixes everyday urban conflict with slice-of-life tenderness and momentary grace. Burgess captures the bass-heavy symphony of the neighborhood and gets the voices just right.”
GEORGE PELECANOS
“Burgess has created full-bodied characters with on-the-mark dialogue, and he evokes his hometown of Queens…An impressive debut, bristling with energy, from an author to watch.”
BOOKLIST
“Burgess’s high-octane debut is a post 9/11 shout-out to the borough of Queens, with its roiling mix of cultures…Burgess’s gritty, punchy narrative, propelled by fresh gusts of language, should remind readers of another outstanding outer borough literary debut—Richard Price’s The Wanderers.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)
“The multicultural stew pot that is contemporary Queens is served up steaming in this pungently uproarious novel about a frenzied young policewoman…a multitextured chronicle of coming-of-age, or, perhaps more precisely, coming to terms with what it means to be a responsible grown-up struggling for truth, justice, love, and value in a post-millennial urban universe…Is it possible that Burgess is doing for Queens what Junot Diaz is doing for New Jersey? No easy answer yet, but this novel will make you wait for one to show up.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)
“Gritty, funny, violent, and genuine….
Highly recommended for lovers of good writing and urban fiction.”
LIBRARY JOURNAL (STARRED REVIEW)
“Everyone once in a while you come across a book that completely captures a place. Even if you’re never been there yourself, it’s like can see it, smell it, taste it.”
NPR’S WEEKEND EDITION