A review by stefhyena
Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

 
Despite being so sentimental and written in a really precious way (that I think was supposed to mirror the patronising view humans have of dogs) I have to admit this kept drawing me in. Overall it's predictable how it's going to play out but that didn't stop me reading for it. At the same time I was very irritated by the constant question-answer style. Instead of saying "Tuck was a good dog" (which is superfluous in any case because this is a premise of the whole book that Tuck and Brodie are Good Dogs) it says "But Tuck? He was a good dog. Yes he was. Believe me." or something like that SEVERAL TIMES A CHAPTER.

I could tolerate it early on but there was just so much of it! The cat was a stereotypical tart-with-a-heart, and the DV perpetrator was conveniently "the monster". While I sympathise with the wish to other perpetrators, I do think that sort of portrayal stops society confronting the ways we construct those "monsters" but I guess I know this was a kids book. Still, that's what I mean by precious and sentimental. The spirituality in the book was a mix of complex but ultimately naive. There is an afterlife. I would have loved that aspect of it when I was younger and didn't mind it too much even now (as escapism).

All in all I think a lot of people would love this book. As I said I was drawn into some parts of it