January 8, 2024
Abel debuts with a heart-warming memoir spotlighting the intense bond between dogs and their owners. Plagued by depression stemming from an abusive childhood, Abel vows her “primary goal in life to be a good mother,” and after years of her son begging for a dog, she finally gives in—adopting Mattie, a wheaten terrier, who becomes an important link in Abel’s fight against depression. When a UPS driver accidentally runs over Mattie, Abel feels herself sinking into darkness again, prompting her search for a new four-legged companion. Enter Milo, a mixed breed, “one of a kind dog” who instantly connects with the family—but comes with baggage of his own.
This is a sweet ode to the joy of nurturing animals, though Abel admittedly has her work cut out for her in training Milo, an aggressive alpha dog who the family quickly realizes is a far cry from their previous pet. Abel and Milo's journey through training, asserting dominance, and learning to trust each other is an endearing story of overcoming grief, finding coping mechanisms in the most unlikely places, and the love between a dog and its owner. Abel refuses to give up on Milo, even after being warned of his volatility, writing that she was "determined to save him."
Animal lovers will relish the central role that Abel’s pets play in her wellbeing throughout the narrative, as she goes from adamantly avoiding dog ownership—due to a traumatic experience in childhood, when her father threw her puppy down a flight of stairs—to discovering not just camaraderie, but also healing in the human/animal bond. Abel writes transparently about the struggle to tame Milo, her troubling relationship with her parents, and the supportive nuclear family she establishes as an adult. This compassionately vulnerable memoir is, in Abel’s own words, a manifestation of her “determination to create an environment of unconditional love.”
Takeaway: Touching ode to the bond between humans and pets.
Comparable Titles: Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, John Grogan's Marley & Me.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
A woman unexpectedly transformed by canine companionship tells a story of family trauma, loss, and healing in this memoir. Walk into any corner bookshop, and you'll likely find more than one title that explores the emotional connection between humans and their dogs. From J.R. Ackerley's graphically detailed memoir My Dog Tulip (1956) to Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain (2008) and Sigrid Nunez's The Friend (2018), both novels, some of the best canines in the literary canon seem to be those who have plenty to teach their human companions. That maxim holds true in this touching memoir about a woman whose battle with depression is made easier by two dogs, the first of which (a wheaten terrier named Mattie) came into her life as part of her resolution to be the best mother she could be to her three sons, who begged and pleaded, as children often do, for a furry creature of their own: "I could no longer put off the inevitable. We had enough creatures in tanks and cages. It was time for the dog." Despite Abel's initial reservations, both Mattie and her successor, Milo, came to mean just as much (if not more) to her as they did to her kids, providing instrumental relief from her battle with depression. Anyone who's lost a pet or has read enough books about those who have will find much of this book to be familiar. Still, a certain kind of pet lover, looking for a comforting reminder of the powerful bond that can occur between animals and humans, may finish this book teary-eyed. Others may take issue with the excessive detail and the sometimes-unnecessary dialogue scenes. Still, canine aficionados will find that the work gives them yet another reason to cherish the precious time they have with their four-legged family members. An affecting, if somewhat formulaic, reminder that dogs aren't just pets but also vessels of love, hope, and recovery.
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