Book Review #19

The Dogs of Babel: A Novel by Carolyn Parkhurst

Reading this book was a confusing experience. I could never tell if I was enjoying myself. I was definitely intrigued, at least intrigued enough to finish it. There were times when I thought I might walk away from it but then it would grab me with something surprising.

The narrator comes home one day to find his wife has fallen from the top of the apple tree and died, with the only witness their Rhodesian Ridgeback Lorelei. As a linguist professor he decides to pursue the mystery by teaching Lorelei to talk. Through this experiment and his grief he recounts his marriage to his wife.

I was disappointed with the author's portrayal of a man's thoughts and speech. It was too feminine. What saved it was her engrossing and honest way of writing grief. I was disturbed and moved by her beautiful portrayal of his wife Lexy, who I felt was actually me. I could understand her rash emotional outbursts, her intense way of experiencing life. And I could understand her husband's need to be around her.

I absolutely loved the ending.

Time to read cover to cover: a week and a half.
General consensus: The jury is still out.