One Good Dog

One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
Fiction
2010 Macmillan Audio
Readers: Fred Berman & Rick Adamson
Finished on 11/10/11
Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)




Publisher's Blurb:

“One Good Dog is a wonderful novel: a moving, tender, and brilliantly crafted story about two fighters—one a man, one a dog— hoping to leave the fight behind, who ultimately find their salvation in each other. Susan Wilson’s clear and unflinching style is perfectly suited for her story that strips away the trappings and toys we all hide behind, and exposes our essential need to give and accept love in order to thrive.” — Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

Adam March is a self-made “Master of the Universe.” He has it all: the beautiful wife, the high-powered job, the glittering circle of friends. But there is a price to be paid for all these trappings, and the pressure is mounting—until the day Adam makes a fatal mistake. His assistant leaves him a message with three words: your sister called. What no one knows is that Adam’s sister has been missing for decades. That she represents the excruciatingly painful past he has left behind. And that her absence has secretly tormented him all these years. When his assistant brushes off his request for an explanation in favor of her more pressing personal call, Adam loses it. And all hell breaks loose.

Adam is escorted from the building. He loses his job. He loses his wife. He loses the life he’s worked so hard to achieve. He doesn’t believe it is possible to sink any lower when he is assigned to work in a soup kitchen as a form of community service. But unbeknownst to Adam, this is where his life will intersect with Chance.

Chance is a mixed breed Pit Bull. He’s been born and raised to fight and seldom leaves the dirty basement where he is kept between fights. But Chance is not a victim or a monster. It is Chance’s unique spirit that helps him escape and puts him in the path of Adam.

What transpires is the story of one man, one dog, and how they save each other—in ways they never could have expected.

Ok. I agree. This sounds like a pretty tired, sappy story. But I’m a sucker for dog books and this one had been recommended to me by one of my customers. When I saw that it was available through my library, I figured it was time to finally give it a try. It’s a very quick and entertaining (read: light-weight and predictable) story, which I enjoyed listening to as I shelved books at work, drove around town and cleaned up the kitchen in the evenings. I’m not sorry I listened to it, but I doubt I would’ve stuck with the written edition. Narrated from both Adam and Chance’s points-of-view, it’s definitely not of the same caliber as The Art of Racing in the Rain (be sure to click on the link if you want to see Annie-Dog pictures!) or The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, the latter of which is one of the finest books I have ever read.

However, fans of Marley and Me (click on link to see our beloved Sidney) will enjoy having their heartstrings tugged once again.