"[A] gritty gem...a stark and moving short novel." -- Publishers Weekly

Two days after Christmas, Bob Saginowski, a lonely bartender looking for a reason to live, rescues an abused and abandoned pit bull puppy from a trash can and meets a damaged woman named Nadia Dunn looking for something to believe in.

As their relationship grows, they cross paths with the Chechen mafia, who have taken over his cousin Marv's bar and use it as a money drop; Marv himself, who has grown dangerously desperate with age and thwarted hopes; two hapless stick-up artists who make the mistake of robbing the bar; a very curious cop; and the original owner of the puppy, a psycho named Eric Deeds, who wants his dog back. . .