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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death
Minor: Misogyny
I’m teetering between 3 and 4 because it was such a clever and unique story. And then when I found out about the poems that had the dogs names hidden in. That really impressed me. But it was pretty sad in parts and gruesome. Not my fave. But still impressed. I’m glad I read it and would recommend
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder
Minor: Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
At first this book read as too pretentious for me, so I didn't think I would enjoy it. However the premise is an interesting thought experiment, so I continued to read on.
This is a really good novel. Once you get into it, you find yourself immersed and invested in the lives of these dogs. Also the writing gets less and less grating the more you read (and the poetry is really quite good).
This is a really good novel. Once you get into it, you find yourself immersed and invested in the lives of these dogs. Also the writing gets less and less grating the more you read (and the poetry is really quite good).
beautiful. potent. poetic. I have never thought of myself as a "dog person" and haven't felt the urge to have a dog in several years, and this book solidified the fact that I really don't want one. I feel nauseous just thinking about it. it's like, what if I don't give it the life it deserves? I can really only give it the life I PERCEIVE as what it deserves, which is horrifying to me. I also don't think I'm the kind of human that possesses the strength to just get over an animal I own dying (this is the same reason I won't have children, but I digress). André Alexis I was DEFINITELY not familiar with your game, and I'm so glad I am now.
general favorites: Prince, Nira, Majnoun, Apollo and Hermes' cutaway scenes, the entire chapter on Atticus' dying wish (best, most beautifully written character imo), Majnoun's initial conversation about love with Nira, prince's very nearly unwavering optimism even in the face of premeditated misfortune.
honorable mentions: the seemingly random references to words but in French, the refreshing accuracy in which Miguel's character is written (particularly the bit about being impressed with Benjy over Majnoun simply because the former entertains him), Bella and Athena's friendship.
general favorites: Prince, Nira, Majnoun, Apollo and Hermes' cutaway scenes, the entire chapter on Atticus' dying wish (best, most beautifully written character imo), Majnoun's initial conversation about love with Nira, prince's very nearly unwavering optimism even in the face of premeditated misfortune.
honorable mentions: the seemingly random references to words but in French, the refreshing accuracy in which Miguel's character is written (particularly the bit about being impressed with Benjy over Majnoun simply because the former entertains him), Bella and Athena's friendship.
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A silly bet leads to torment for dogs. The animal lover in me is very sad. Having lost my own dog within the last few years made this more emotional.
However it’s well written as a representation of dogs and the way they behave and I think a very decent assumption on how they would behave with human intelligence
However it’s well written as a representation of dogs and the way they behave and I think a very decent assumption on how they would behave with human intelligence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief
Moderate: Blood
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Wow. I came into this novel without any expectation whatsoever and was blown away. Andre Alexis had been recommended to me while I was looking for more Canadian authors to read, so I started with his most well known work.
Fifteen Dogs feels like the kind of book that could be very divisive. It's told from the point of view of dogs, so it's speculative fiction of a sort, but it falls on the literary/philosophical side. But through his allegory, Alexis explores so many interesting and poignant topics: the nature of language, translation, hierarchy and power, culture vs nature, fate, love, faith, art, alientation, and other connected threads by proxy (foreignness, the immigrant experience, etc).
The story never fails to be interesting, and each scene is inflected by emotion that lies just beneath the surface, much as the feeling of being "altered" resides in each dog. I especially enjoyed the way he wove Prince's poetry throughout and the explanation for it at the end. The novel is well crafted, well written, and with its thoughtful exploration of its themes, reads like a piece of great literature.
People who have a really hard time reading about animals in any kind of peril should steer clear of this book. Even peril aside, it will make you cry. Majnoun's story in particular brings to mind the story ofHachiko , which is one that never fails to give me intense feelings. If you feel like you can handle that, I urge you to give this moving novel a shot.
-------
An aside: as someone who knows Toronto very well, I appreciated the way the novel orients you in the city. I could imagine exactly where the dogs were!
Fifteen Dogs feels like the kind of book that could be very divisive. It's told from the point of view of dogs, so it's speculative fiction of a sort, but it falls on the literary/philosophical side. But through his allegory, Alexis explores so many interesting and poignant topics: the nature of language, translation, hierarchy and power, culture vs nature, fate, love, faith, art, alientation, and other connected threads by proxy (foreignness, the immigrant experience, etc).
The story never fails to be interesting, and each scene is inflected by emotion that lies just beneath the surface, much as the feeling of being "altered" resides in each dog. I especially enjoyed the way he wove Prince's poetry throughout and the explanation for it at the end. The novel is well crafted, well written, and with its thoughtful exploration of its themes, reads like a piece of great literature.
People who have a really hard time reading about animals in any kind of peril should steer clear of this book. Even peril aside, it will make you cry. Majnoun's story in particular brings to mind the story of
-------
An aside: as someone who knows Toronto very well, I appreciated the way the novel orients you in the city. I could imagine exactly where the dogs were!