Dog Days: A big-hearted, tender, funny novel about new beginnings

A delightful insight into what's going on with other people's lives, and how a dog's love can have an impact. George's wife has died; before she left him for good she bought a puppy which he has no interest in. If he can't have Ellen, then he doesn't want to bother with life. His neighbour Betty tries to help but, let's be honest, help is the last thing George wants. Dan is a counsellor with his own issues in the form of OCD; no matter how good he is at helping his patients he doesn't seem able to help himself, but he has Fitz, his Labrador, to help him through. Lizzie and her son are living in a women's shelter having left her partner; Lizzie has plenty of scars but really doesn't want to talk it through or share details about her previous life but she likes to be helpful so when the refuge's overweight terrier, Maud, needs walking, Lizzie steps up. The only thing these people have in common is having a dog in their life - will the four-legged friends help each of them? At the end of the author's acknowledgements, Ericka Waller says 'Dog Days is the sum of everything she has learned about love, loss, and the healing power of dogs', and I couldn't put it better myself. This isn't a novel to take anything at face value. Each person is struggling through life for varying reasons; each character is skilfully crafted and before long I was totally immersed in their tales. As the narrative switched from one to the other I was always eager to keep reading and find out what happened next. Like their owners, each dog has it's own traits and personality and these add to the enjoyment of this book. A very appealing read and one I'm happy to recommend to anyone interested in the lives of others - well, isn't that what makes us pick up a book in the first place? A rewarding read, with several shocks and surprises along the way which gives me to recommend this one, and happily give it 4.5*.