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A review by mat_tobin
A Dog So Small by Philippa Pearce
5.0
Ever since the moment when Ben’s grandfather whispered conspiratorially of a promise of a for his birthday, Ben has done nothing but dream and imagine the moment. Whilst his grandparents live in the country with their own dog, Ben and his large, busy family live a rather bustling life in central London, a short stop away from Big Ben.
It is tough being a middle child and more so when the age between your two older sisters or two younger brothers is great. Your place in the family is unstable; you’re searching for someone or something to just help you fit in and to share your life with. So when the day comes for Ben to receive his gift from his grandparents, his heart is broken and trust shattered when he only receives a woven image of a Chihuahua in a frame. The fact dawns on him that he will never own a dog because it’d be too big for the house and central London is no place to raise a large dog. So what does Ben do? He imagines a dog so small that only he can see it, play with it and care for it. But in becoming so engrossed in imagining this creature, Ben loses touch with the real world and a tragic accident happens which calls on the family to consider everyone’s futures.
That desire and longing which is so prevalent in childhood, wanting something that is beyond either their reach or purpose, is a memory I remember well. The desire for a pet, a promise broken by a trusting adult are hard and deeply confusing childhood experiences and Pearce captures it all so perfectly here. As with all her work, there is a deep sense of respect for the reader. For me, where most authors would have tied the ending up in order to spare the reader any more conflict, Pearce stays true to Ben’s character and presents us with a close which shows that he still has much to learn about what he wants and why he wants it.
This is a highly accomplished short novel and I was surprised to read that it was originally ‘turned down by OUP and, instead, published by Constable in 1982.’
It is tough being a middle child and more so when the age between your two older sisters or two younger brothers is great. Your place in the family is unstable; you’re searching for someone or something to just help you fit in and to share your life with. So when the day comes for Ben to receive his gift from his grandparents, his heart is broken and trust shattered when he only receives a woven image of a Chihuahua in a frame. The fact dawns on him that he will never own a dog because it’d be too big for the house and central London is no place to raise a large dog. So what does Ben do? He imagines a dog so small that only he can see it, play with it and care for it. But in becoming so engrossed in imagining this creature, Ben loses touch with the real world and a tragic accident happens which calls on the family to consider everyone’s futures.
That desire and longing which is so prevalent in childhood, wanting something that is beyond either their reach or purpose, is a memory I remember well. The desire for a pet, a promise broken by a trusting adult are hard and deeply confusing childhood experiences and Pearce captures it all so perfectly here. As with all her work, there is a deep sense of respect for the reader. For me, where most authors would have tied the ending up in order to spare the reader any more conflict, Pearce stays true to Ben’s character and presents us with a close which shows that he still has much to learn about what he wants and why he wants it.
This is a highly accomplished short novel and I was surprised to read that it was originally ‘turned down by OUP and, instead, published by Constable in 1982.’