Yishay ishi ron
Yishay Ishi Ron
DOG
A Combat Officer and a Lost Dog Find Each Other
in the Shadows of Trauma and Addiction
Dog is a haunting, unflinching exploration of PTSD, addiction, and
redemption, told through the lens of an Israeli officer returning
from Gaza. Struggling with his trauma, he descends into heroin
addiction and finds himself among Tel Aviv’s community of misfit
junkies—until a stray dog unexpectedly enters his life.
What follows is a raw, immersive journey through psychological
anguish, fleeting hope, and the search for meaning in the
wreckage of war. The novel also provides a profound examination
of the mechanisms that lead to PTSD, delving into the
transformation of trauma into a lasting psychological burden. It
explores how extreme stress, moral injury, and the experience of
combat rewire the brain, making it nearly impossible to return to
civilian life unchanged.
Through its deeply personal narrative, Dog sheds light on the a
internal and external struggles faced by those who carry the
invisible wounds of war. The novel masterfully blends sharp social
critique, emotional depth, creating an unforgettable reading
experience. Dog was longlisted for the prestigious Sapir Prize,
Israel’s most esteemed literary award.
About the Author:
Yishay Ishi Ron is an Israeli writer and former soldier in an elite
combat unit who suffers from severe PTSD. Writing has been a
crucial part of his healing process, and Dog is deeply rooted in his
personal experiences. Yishay Ishi Ron lives in Tel Aviv with his
wife and three children.
Endorsements
"Terrible and wonderful, heartbreaking and heartfelt—if literature has any hope of making us better people, it will be through the brutal, beautiful honesty of works like Ishi Ron's remarkable Dog."
"In the tradition of the best war novels, Yishai Ron’s Dog reminds us of our confounding inability to learn from the past. With pity, rage, compassion, and despair, Ron shows the dreadful toll war takes on man and beast. The novel also provides an unsentimental and humane depiction of contemporary Israel, a country many people believe they know. In the end, and often with gallows humor, Dog affirms the fragility and validity of life."
"A formidable, painful novel. Rare emotional intensity."
"A profound, original, thought-provoking novel. To read it is to have your heart broken."
"Ishi Ron’s unsettling novel, Dog, serves up a chilling account of despair, redemption, and murder in the aftermath of war. Returning from Gaza to Tel Aviv, a decorated Israeli officer who has assumed the name 'Geller' drowns his trauma in heroin as he navigates a new life among misfit junkies. Enter Dog, the novel’s eponymous mongrel, who offers a deeply perceptive, highly canine perspective on Geller’s suffering. Both convincing and disquieting, Ron adds his powerful voice to a rising generation
"Dog should come with its own Surgeon General warning: This highly suspenseful and unexpectedly lyrical book could be hazardous to your health. Read at your own risk!"
"Dog took me by storm and struck a deep, emotional chord in me. It is a rollercoaster ride into the certainty of uncertainty, a search for sense and sensitivity within the pain, anxiety, and fear that face those who were once glorified for valor and heroism and are now left out in the cold to fight for their lives. For their survival. For their body and soul. This is a powerful story on so many personal, social, and political levels, and I realized that I must turn it into a movie. My movie. Sooner rather than later. Especially today. Especially now."
"Yishai Ron's gripping, haunting Dog performs the magic act that all novelists seek but rarely achieve: to lure readers inside worlds they have neither lived nor can ever imagine—and yet, somehow, know that they have arrived. This is a postwar novel par excellence, with its lingering torments and redemptions of the aftermath."
"Dog reads like a cry that rolls forward at an incredible pace, carried by the flow of the plot. At times, there's a desire to pause, to grasp onto something at the edges, but—just like the characters in the book—you can't. The characters are tough. Life has struck them hard, and they are laid bare, yet they are portrayed with a compassionate gaze, with empathy and honesty."
"In the tradition of Orwell and Tim O'Brien, a devastating novel about the devastation of war. Every grim, almost-unbearable detail is offset by the triumph of living to tell, and the act of telling an insistence on humanity in spite of everything."
"An unflinching story of war and psychic trauma, DOG also illuminates another struggle—learning to give and accept love."
“This is a remarkable book — powerful in its ability to open the world of PTSD to the reader. It reveals the partial destruction, the entanglement with a different kind of reality, the destructive paths of escape, and the surprising openings toward hope.”