by Garth Stein.
Quickie Recap: This story is recounted by a dog named Enzo who watches enough television to have formed the belief that when a dog dies, if he is lucky, he will come back as a human in his next life. Enzo wants this very, very much. Of course, this becomes primarily the story of the family that Enzo lives with, and he tells it the way a dog would: with more compassion than is probably deserved, and abounding love and faith and loyalty.
Quickie Review: I remember seeing this book in an airport some time ago and I gave it a miss. It looked a bit silly. But then I read all the other books in the book store (okay, maybe not all, but enough that I could give this book a second look) and so I picked this up, and started reading right in the parking lot and didn't put it down until I was done, about 4 hours later. I was crying on page 5. Okay, so I'm a sap who happens to be lucky enough to have not one but three of the world's most awesome dogs living in my house (and cuddled around me as I read this). So maybe I was predisposed to love this. Whatever the case, I did. It was sweet, but not cloying. It is a bit silly, a bit simple. It's what a dog's book should be. It doesn't feel gimmicky or particularly childish. It's a bit of a reach, I'm not going to lie. The end is a bit cheesy-movie contrived. But on a snowy afternoon, cuddled in front of the fire, it was perfect.
Quickie Recommendation: I'm going to say yes. I'm not sure about the author, he was a little uneven, but he hit on a great little story here and it warmed me right up.
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