George the Dog, John the Artist: A Rescue Story, by John Dolan (Overlook
Press, 2015, 303 pages, $25.95)
The plot: Man
rescues dog - dog saves man. The End.
But it’s
what’s in the middle that counts – drawings of George-the-dog that you may just
want to frame.
Love the title! But, . . .
Of course,
being a dog-book-reviewer, I love that the dog comes first (in the title).
Unfortunately, the dog did not write the book. John-the-artist wrote the book
and therefore most of the book is about him and other humans. (But, Dog does save
the day)! I would have liked to get to know George more, however. “George, we
hardly knew ya’!”
George may just be the most unusual book.
. . .
What’s it all about?
Location: London, the neighborhood of street
artists
Plot: When a convicted teen is released
from prison, his family will not take him back: he spends the next 20 years in
and out of trouble – when out, he is homeless. Without a high school diploma,
he falls back on his childhood hobby, drawing, as he sits on the streets with
his “found dog” George begging nearby.
Style: The prose so far is splotchy,
replete with expletives and “British Englishisms” that Americans may not
understand but can usually make a pretty guess at. However, when success comes
to John and George, the prose becomes more educated, more professional, and
less earthy. I wonder if the author was aware of this style change.
Ending: Can John-the-artist turn his life
around, get off heroin and off the streets? Does he reconcile with his extended
family sibs (a soap opera book in itself!)? George-the-dog tries hard to help
just by being a dog who needs to be walked, even early in the morning, and to
be fed regularly which necessitates an income – shades of Puppy
Chow is Better than Prozac (Bruce Goldstein).
(Secret: I bought the book for the
delightful drawings of George-the-dog, a Staffordshire terrier, one of the
cutest dogs out there!)
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