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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I picked it up... got distracted by the season(s) and other books that had dates on the calendar. Even with the gaps in time, I never forgot about it or lost the thread.
Is it perfect? No. However, the “odd” point of view/conversation is part of what eventually makes it so special. The prose... lyrical/poetic.
BIG WARNING!!! if you need this to be a sweet man/dog story, back away and move along. If you are ok with a “smooshed together” Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time & Marley & Me... it will be worth the investment... awesome debut... can’t wait for more.
Is it perfect? No. However, the “odd” point of view/conversation is part of what eventually makes it so special. The prose... lyrical/poetic.
BIG WARNING!!! if you need this to be a sweet man/dog story, back away and move along. If you are ok with a “smooshed together” Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time & Marley & Me... it will be worth the investment... awesome debut... can’t wait for more.
How could I have not realized more quickly where this novel was going? I was seduced by the lapidary beauty of the writing, and by the casual mastery of the setting's flora and fauna, I guess, and I wrongly assumed I was reading an Irish variant of the starchy British women - Hazzard, Gardham, Murdoch - I love so well. By the time I got a clue, it was too late; my heart was broken and my eyes red from crying.
This was amazing and beautiful and so, so hard to read. Not the writing, that was flawless. But again, the story and the pain of the protagonist just made me squirm and almost itch with discomfort. Poor bastard. I gotta read something a bit fluffy now and give my psyche a break.
In a way, this book reminded me of The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. You might be thinking that I'm a little bit crazy, and perhaps I am, but hear me out:
This book is the disintegration of a man's life. We start in a place where the primary character, whose name the reader does not know, is feeling well-enough self-assured. He is completing the mundane tasks of living routinely, without much complaint. His biggest fear is rats making their way from the attic into his home, so what does he do? He adopts a dog--a maggot-nosed, aggressive little bugger that he just loves. to. death.
The strange man, shunned by his community after his father's death (which is a mystery for the bulk of the book), walks with his dog morning and night. They explore the local beach, and the man and dog both delight--one, in sniffing and wriggling and digging and chewing; the other, in watching the one sniff and wriggle and dig and chew. At times, they are so close that they seem almost as one.
Where does it go wrong? The dog bites another dog walked by a small boy, and the mother makes an accusation that the dog bit not only the stranger-dog, but also the boy. The main character of spill simmer falter wither begins an immediate internal struggle: how could he believe that his dog had bitten the boy? But also, how could he not believe it? And how would they escape when everyone knew who he was, having watched the strange man living outside the burden of society, and animal control wanted to seize and euthanize his dog?
The main character goes to great lengths, uprooting his life and opting to live many months out of his car, driving the entire country's edge and back with his faithful but mildly concerning companion. The reader is involved in his disintegration; in fact, we can feel his life disintegrate. The entire book delineates and de-rationalizes until we are left confused alongside our main character and his dog.
The only other book I have read that draws the reader into the steady destruction of a soul, that so powerfully relates the disintegration of mental health, is The Catcher in the Rye.
Of course, the prose in this book is much more poetic, lyrical even. For such a beautifully crafted book, it comes across real and with the feeling that it is written stream-of-consciousness. We are in the head of the main character, everywhere he goes and everything he experiences, and it is truly remarkable.
Would recommend to everyone.
This book is the disintegration of a man's life. We start in a place where the primary character, whose name the reader does not know, is feeling well-enough self-assured. He is completing the mundane tasks of living routinely, without much complaint. His biggest fear is rats making their way from the attic into his home, so what does he do? He adopts a dog--a maggot-nosed, aggressive little bugger that he just loves. to. death.
The strange man, shunned by his community after his father's death (which is a mystery for the bulk of the book), walks with his dog morning and night. They explore the local beach, and the man and dog both delight--one, in sniffing and wriggling and digging and chewing; the other, in watching the one sniff and wriggle and dig and chew. At times, they are so close that they seem almost as one.
Where does it go wrong? The dog bites another dog walked by a small boy, and the mother makes an accusation that the dog bit not only the stranger-dog, but also the boy. The main character of spill simmer falter wither begins an immediate internal struggle: how could he believe that his dog had bitten the boy? But also, how could he not believe it? And how would they escape when everyone knew who he was, having watched the strange man living outside the burden of society, and animal control wanted to seize and euthanize his dog?
The main character goes to great lengths, uprooting his life and opting to live many months out of his car, driving the entire country's edge and back with his faithful but mildly concerning companion. The reader is involved in his disintegration; in fact, we can feel his life disintegrate. The entire book delineates and de-rationalizes until we are left confused alongside our main character and his dog.
The only other book I have read that draws the reader into the steady destruction of a soul, that so powerfully relates the disintegration of mental health, is The Catcher in the Rye.
Of course, the prose in this book is much more poetic, lyrical even. For such a beautifully crafted book, it comes across real and with the feeling that it is written stream-of-consciousness. We are in the head of the main character, everywhere he goes and everything he experiences, and it is truly remarkable.
Would recommend to everyone.
A sweet yet unusual book. The protagonist narrates the book as though he is talking to his new dog. It's a little weird, at first, but works very well as a POV as you get to know the man and adjust to his style. It's a bit monotonous -- not in a boring way, but as in a level, consistent pitch and tone kind of way. I had to take a short break from reading this book just for something differently paced. But when I came back, it was all good again.
The narrator (I don't think he ever tells us his name) is very solitary, perhaps on the ASD spectrum, but he slowly unreels his story. It's ...unexpected. But there's so much nature and love for his dog, that no matter how you feel about his past there's a serenity in the story. Maybe it's the lack of many strong emotions that makes the book so even-keeled.
It's for people who love dogs, nature, the beach, or just a quirky, well-written book. The author does an excellent job with the writing. The descriptions are apt but not overdone, the social commentary is original and insightful, the story is also original and interesting. There's an endorsement quote on the cover by Anne Enright that calls the book "beautiful and unexpected" and that is exactly what this book is.
The narrator (I don't think he ever tells us his name) is very solitary, perhaps on the ASD spectrum, but he slowly unreels his story. It's ...unexpected. But there's so much nature and love for his dog, that no matter how you feel about his past there's a serenity in the story. Maybe it's the lack of many strong emotions that makes the book so even-keeled.
It's for people who love dogs, nature, the beach, or just a quirky, well-written book. The author does an excellent job with the writing. The descriptions are apt but not overdone, the social commentary is original and insightful, the story is also original and interesting. There's an endorsement quote on the cover by Anne Enright that calls the book "beautiful and unexpected" and that is exactly what this book is.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Do not glance at this book's synopsis or the silhouette of the dog on the cover and assume it to be cutesy or heartwarming or gentle.
If those elements are what you expect of this novel, you will be disappointed and, perhaps, a bit horrified. Though I must admit that it does rather glow with warmth and tenderness... though that glow is sharply framed by bitterness, cold, dark, dark melancholy and gruesomeness.
My favourite sort of story!
A man adopts a terrier, a former badger-baiter with one eye newly taken by his prey. His reasons for adopting the dog aren't clear, and when the reader begins to make assumptions, they may find they're mistaken... but perhaps not, ultimately. The man comes across as a beaten down, social outcast and while this may be true in some sense, he does not remain at that base generic personality.
Sharply funny, jaggedly violent and surprising. I haven't mentioned how eloquent and gorgeous the writing is. I've read other reviews of readers losing interest, who felt like there's no movement of plot. It's quiet, in its own way, but I listened to it on audiobook (narrated by an amazing John Keating) and the narration kept me hooked long enough to deeply appreciate and love the language.
If those elements are what you expect of this novel, you will be disappointed and, perhaps, a bit horrified. Though I must admit that it does rather glow with warmth and tenderness... though that glow is sharply framed by bitterness, cold, dark, dark melancholy and gruesomeness.
My favourite sort of story!
A man adopts a terrier, a former badger-baiter with one eye newly taken by his prey. His reasons for adopting the dog aren't clear, and when the reader begins to make assumptions, they may find they're mistaken... but perhaps not, ultimately. The man comes across as a beaten down, social outcast and while this may be true in some sense, he does not remain at that base generic personality.
Sharply funny, jaggedly violent and surprising. I haven't mentioned how eloquent and gorgeous the writing is. I've read other reviews of readers losing interest, who felt like there's no movement of plot. It's quiet, in its own way, but I listened to it on audiobook (narrated by an amazing John Keating) and the narration kept me hooked long enough to deeply appreciate and love the language.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced