Outside A Dog

I’m a dog person, so it’s really no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Walking In Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe. I was admittedly surprised by how well the premise – a woman who has been dumped by her boyfriend is suddenly able to understand what her dog is thinking – worked out.

After Dawn’s boyfriend leaves her to pursue a job in another city, she’s stunned to hear her pit bull, Chuck, consoling her. While at first she thinks she may be crazy, she comes to accept the voice she’s hearing -– which also makes her job a little more interesting, because Dawn works at a dog day care facility, and she can understand all of those dogs, too. Chuck offers his sometimes questionable -– he is a dog, after all — guidance as Dawn attempts to survive her over-helpful sister, her ridiculous mother, the loss of her job, and the return of her sketchy ex-boyfriend.

As someone who talks to my dog on a regular basis -– and, okay, as someone who has been known to ‘speak’ for her dog more than I’d like to admit -– I got such a kick out of this book. Dawn’s story is told in a stream-of-consciousness, rambly, tangential fashion that could easily have been the most annoying aspect of the book, but Markoe pulled it off wonderfully. [It’s also possibly that I loved this style so much because I tend to tell stories in the same rambly-type fashion.] And Chuck is one fantastic little canine character. Highly recommended if you’re a dog lover or just looking for a fun little read. I’ll certainly be looking for more of Merrill Markoe’s work.