Author:C.A. Fletcher
My name’s Griz. My childhood wasn’t like yours. I’ve never had friends, and in my whole life I’ve not met enough people to play a game of football.
My parents told me how crowded the world used to be, but we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs.
Then the thief came.
There may be no law left except what you make of it. But if you steal my dog, you can at least expect me to come after you.
Because if we aren’t loyal to the things we love, what’s the point?
That’s the publisher’s blurb, and it sets the book up nicely. Someone takes Griz’ dog, Griz goes after him to get his dog back, and this is what happens when he does. It’s a post apocalyptic story, and a pretty good one, with a different and more interesting take than the other legion of stories in that genre I’ve read. Obviously the grandaddy of the genre is John Wyndham, and fans of his will find familiar ground in the post industrial, post collapse, return to an agrarian idyll here. It’s a bit nastier than Wyndham’s trademark cosy catastrophe though, without being unpleasantly brutal. There are secrets and twists and spoilers as well (and I’m not going to ruin them, so don’t even ask – but if you pay close attention to what the story outright TELLS you it’s doing, they might not be such a surprise in retrospect…).But really, the thing about this book is, this book gets dogs. I’m not sure I’ve ever read another story that captures the experience of living with one of those wonderful creatures so accurately. Most of my time reading it was spent with a small brown terrier curled up next to me, and her fearlessness, her loyalty and her love are all here in Jip. Some of it shades into YA territory, not least the central thrust of an adolescent boy leaving home and finding his own way in the world, but not strongly enough to put a grown man like me off reading it.
But yeah, it’s all about the dogs. If you like dogs, this will resonate with you and you’ll love it. If you don’t, maybe you should read it and perhaps you will see the error of your ways.
Length of Read:Medium
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
John Wyndham, John Christopher, Station Eleven, The Girl With All The Gifts
One thing you’ve learned
.
->
(I never know if this is good manners or not)
Oh God, this book is going to make me cry. I just know it.
We’ve recently (last weekend) taken on a little rescue dog* as a pal to keep our old faithful Jack Russell company since his daughter slipped away from us last month. It’s been a rollercoaster ride of amazement at how a little terrier (she’s also a Jack Russell) can be such a powerful storm of love and delight; we have had day after day of surprise at her intellignece, her willingness to please, her astonishing levels of trust in us and the lift she has brought to a household that was in doggy mourning until the moment she arrived.
Thanks for the review Kid, as a result of your words I just bought this book, and I look forward to taking a deep breath and diving in.
*https://www.manytearsrescue.org/
oh dear, I always feel terribly responsible when somebody buys something on my recommendation and I start worrying that I’ve oversold it. Hope you like it.
In other news, dogs really are great, aren’t they? Especially rescue dogs. (Although I would not say that a “willingness to please” was one of my own aging dog’s virtues. More a “willingness to sit on one of the half dozen or so beds that have been dotted around the house for her convenience, and not move until she hears the fridge open”)
You sold it to me at ‘Someone takes Griz’ dog, Griz goes after him’, @Kid_Dynamite. Post – apocalyptic + dog – custom built for me…
Astonishing coincidence on the fridge door front – our dogs must somehow be related!
Uh, the title and premise is very close to a piece of Harlan Ellision’s work. Given his litigious history, if he was alive, I have no doubt he’d sue:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_and_His_Dog
@bigjimbob
That’s slightly more than “very close” in my opinion. Astonishing. How come more hasn’t been made of it? Fascinating.
Always a sucker for a dog story. I still have quite a few from when I was a lad including an ancient copy of ‘Lassie Come Home’ and best of all one written in the 19th century called ‘Owd Bob’ which is just a magnificent story beautifully told. If I pick up either of them and read any passage my eyes tear up immediately.
You do have an uncanny ability to make me want to watch movies, read books, listen to albums and you have done it again. OK, I am very keen about dogs, so this time I was a soft target.
I do relate to your hesitance about recommending stuff. Just because I loved something, will it also hit the spot for others? But it is far better to stick your neck out. I lose some, but when I win some, it is well worth the effort.
You had me at Dog.