After Be Near Me, this seemed like a pretty shocking departure. (I have to say that my first uncharitable thought was that O'Hagan was trying to cash in on the public's seemingly insatiable appetite for books about dogs, from Marley and Me to The Art of Racing in the Rain.) But it is an O'Hagan book after all, replete with classical allusions and stunning gems of prose. I found myself liking it despite initial reservations and yet the pages didn't turn easily. A short-enough book that took me 10 days to finish because I kept picking up other things to read. Wonder what he'll do next....