The Dogs of Babel

I said it would be a surprise, didn't I?  Check that out - no "Currently Reading" widget for it or anything.  And in case you're not excited about this element of surprise, hopefully you'll still be anxious to pick up The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst.

So first off, I love the cover of this book, including the fact that a ridgeback really does look like the dog in the picture.  And the title itself implies some sort of base in mythology, so technically I'm not going completely off-track in reading this, which might really be classified (if it has to be at all) as Modern Lit.  But I tend to make exceptions for dogs anyway.

I really liked this book.  I won't say I really "enjoyed" this book, however, because it is such a convincing, harrowing portrait of grief and the insanity someone can easily be driven to in such a time.  I read some reviews on Amazon that warn against reading this if you have recenty experienced loss, and lucky for me I have not - but the engrossing story of Paul, his beloved but flawed wife Lexy, and their dog who witnesses her death, was still very sad.

Paul narrates his own story, which makes the book what it is.  He describes the evolution of his relationship with his wife before her death, right up to it and then afterward, when he can't decide if he remembers his wife who lived or an image he has created from grief.  The dog Lorelei plays the role of witness - witness to Lexy's mysterious death-fall from the apple tree in their backyard - and the point is that Paul tries to somehow coax answers out of his mute dog.  Soon enough, Paul develops an insane faith in the ability of dogs to learn to speak, in any hopes of obtaining the answers he needs for closure.

Now, this is the type of peeling-away-the-layers book that I was looking for when I got myself into Brunonia Barry's novels.  Unfortunately other things about her books did not work for me, but I have only good things to say about Carolyn Parkhurst's first book.  The pacing is fast, making this the saddest page-turner I can remember reading.  The characters are full and real, the story is involving and although you might turn away from depressing books, know that by the time the book begins, the worst part is already over.

:Smiley!: