The Dogs of Vivo

Following Sven Axelrad’s critically acclaimed novels Buried Treasure (2023), God’s Pocket (2024) and The Nicotine Gospel (2025) – each of which has been either short- or long-listed for the Sunday Times Fiction Award – his highly anticipated The Dogs of Vivo was published in May 2026. Axelrad’s fictional town of Vivo is a vibrant place full of bars, bookstores, cafés, and quirky characters. The ‘Dogs’ are a trio of young creatives: Maggie, a musician who dreams of worldwide fame; Arturo, a novelist who is rumoured to have the heart of a dog; and Felix, a handsome and homeless artist. The three friends’ lives are thrown into disarray when they meet Mr Pijo, a mysterious businessman who offers to help them reach success. The novel is full of wonderfully unpredictable encounters and ideas. Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell visit for a chat and a smoke, the Zodiac of Bars Everywhere determines characters’ fates, and the narrator cheekily comments on the storytelling – at one point he chides, ‘Don’t be annoyed; my responsibility is first to the story, and only then to the truth.’ The Dogs of Vivo explores the pains and joys of love, the relationship between capitalism and art, and the fleetingness of youth with insight and humour.