Home
/
Fiction
/
Doghead
Doghead
Jan 13, 2026 11:45 PM

Author:Morten Ramsland,Tiina Nunnally

Doghead

Naughty Boys.Dirty Secrets.Mad Dogs.

In the Eriksson family, childhood is a shocking experience, full of crude and disturbing rites of passage. It all started with Askild 'the Crackpot', chased by bloodhounds on a German plain after escaping from a Nazi concentration camp.His son, Niels 'Jug Ears' Junior, is born in an outhouse, and wins respect by kicking other boys in the balls.

And his son, Asger 'the Liar', collects stories about his shipwrecked family which are always exciting though not entirely true. He is haunted by the time he spent hidden in the space under the stairs with his fat aunt, aka 'the Little Bitch'. Unable to banish Doghead, a horror from his childhood, to the shadow realm, he reveals the very bad deeds children can do - to push his family story forward, past a point of no return.

Doghead is a richly imaginative farcical tragedy; a witty saga of three generations of wild Eriksson men. It touches on chilling themes - concentration camps, child abuse, alcoholism, rape - yet warmly celebrates the stories that hold families together.

Reviews

'Has the energy of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the inventiveness of Alice in Wonderland...It has also an intelligent wit and a truly original grim and comic grasp of the nature of things'

—— The Sunday Times

'Our best comic novelist'

—— New Scientist

I'm addicted to Terry Pratchett'

—— A.S. Byatt

Literate, clever, surreal and inventive

—— Bookseller

'Like Dickens, much of Pratchett's appeal lies in his humanism, both in a sentimental regard for his characters' good fortune, and in that his writing is generous-spirited and inclusive'

—— Guardian

'This spinner of crazy science-fiction tales is a very sophisticated jester'

—— The Times

Concurrently very funny and incredibly sad. The writing sizzles, and the words jump off the page as Hudson describes a world of fags, booze, bingo and worse. We watch our heroine Janie Ryan struggle through it all with humour and a will to survive. I was cheering her on all the way, and I'm sure you will, too

—— Cathy Rentzenbrink , Waterstone's, Bookseller

A laugh out loud read

—— In Style

Told with such an honest and engaging voice that you can’t help but turn the page

—— ReadBetweenTheLines

This is a remarkable debut novel of love and loyalty, of fierce passion and scabrous wit, full of characters whose broad vernacular is direct and expressive. This is about a culture with just as much right to be called British as that of middle-class suburbia

—— Foyles.co.uk

Refreshing originality… Hudson’s achievement is the creation of a strong, working-class, female voice in her protagonist – filling a hole in contemporary literature

—— Big Issue in the North

Definitely one to watch

—— Big Issue (National)

What really drives all this is Wolfe’s extraordinary style.

—— Robert Murphy , Metro

As broad and panoramic as ever.

—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday

There are some dazzling satirical riffs and politically incorrect laughs.

—— Jake Kerridge , Sunday Express

Wolfe’s prose is as punchy as ever.

—— Time Out

Energetically set against the deco licentiousness of Florida’s steamiest party capital.

—— Vogue

Class, family, wealth and corruption are all themes in this examination of life in Miami.

—— Sunday Business Post

[Tells] us about the way we live now... enjoyable.

—— Wynn Wheldon , Spectator

Classic Wolfe. A delight

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Epic, hectic, satirical… It’s scathing, funny, and has great set-piece scenes

—— Brandon Robshaw , Independent on Sunday

Contemporary Miami gets the Wolfe treatment in a grand, sweeping satire on race, class, lust and immigration

—— Sunday Telegraph

Wonderful

—— Robert Bound , Monocle

Parks is one of the best living writers of English, and this book is so good you don't want it to end

—— Nicholas Lezard , Guardian

If, like me, you relish Italy, railways and grumbling, this is the most transporting book

—— Christopher Hirst , Independent

A fun, informative and detailed journey

—— By the Dart
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved