Mrs. Danvers asked:

Does the dog die? (I can't deal with dog deaths, even if they die of old age)

flag

18 likes · like
6 years ago
14 answers

To answer questions about The Friend, please sign up.

Lisa Eckstein

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

flag

Betty You can read it. I avoid books about animal because I can’t stand for them to die even though I know every living thing does. Won’t answer your question just urge you to read it.

flag

Ross It's this very question that's at the heart of the book: does something bad happen to the dog? Why do we fear that? What do we fear? And why is that so important. Definitely read it!

flag

Roger

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

flag

Scott It's funny you ask this question because it's actually repeated a few times throughout the book. You should be able to read this book.

flag

Monika I also can’t deal with dog deaths and my insides were on high alert for most of this book, but it was so worth it!

flag

Josie Glausiusz I read it not as a book about a dog but as a book about writing and friendship.

flag

Phyllis Ershowsky That's exactly the question I had before reading this book.

flag

Lisa Borges Kay, I’m going to weigh in… most readers here say they feel certain the dog dies. I feel that the reader can take it in whichever direction they need to. It was easy for me to visualize that the dog only gave her a scare at this point, because I watched the movie first, and the film did a lovely job of exploring how she will feel when the inevitable happens. However, the dog absolutely does not die in the movie. And so that is the ending I choose to imagine for the end of the book. Even so, I was softly sobbing out loud in public as the ending of the audiobook snuck up on me. Anyway, to me the important point is that the dog and the human in this case are the perfect example of a wonderful dog/human relationship. Both giving to each other what each needs most. I went home and thanked my sweet Queensland and had another cry into her fur. She didn’t judge me :)

flag

Janet Mahlum Does the dog die? Very good questions. Every reader will have a different answer. It is up to the reader to decide. My daughter, who hates to read books where the dog dies, listened to this one twice and gave it a 5-star rating. By all means read it. The ending is beautiful. You will love it. And you can decide if that is the end or not. If you have not read it yet, please do.

flag

Lesa Parnham Hard no for me then. Glad I looked.

flag

Nadja Skale I created an account here for one reason only- to answer this question! Why? Because I skimmed through the answers when deciding whether to read this book myself (which I did) and I now disagree with most of the answers!! If you don’t like books in which animals die, or suffer in any way, DO NOT read this. Not giving any spoilers here, just want to mention that there are several sections in which animal suffering is explicitly mentioned in the book and I don’t understand some of the other answers here at all. I didn’t hate the book but would not read it had I known this beforehand.

flag