"The Principles of Devotion"

[Marie]

Told in first person again, this is my favorite story so far... A story of devotion. Azurine, and the little dog Topsy are devoted to Sara. When Sara dies, Topsy bites Azurine when she closes Sara's eyes and two drops of blood appear on her wrist, perhaps representing their shared link in their devotion to Sara. "That was all we had in common" (103). Although the two do not belong to each other, they form a slow bond through their grief for Sara. Azurine accepts that Topsy is not "hers" but tends to his needs on his terms. The last paragraph is beautiful. "They say dogs may dream... he would often make a noise that sounded quite human, as if greeting someone in his dreams... at first it seemed that he believed Sara would return... I understood that his loyalty asked for no reward, and that love comes in unexpected forms" (109).

[David]

"Sara had told me that a wine who could rescue herself was a women who would never be in need". That quote from page 98 is gold & strikes me as perhaps the central theme of the book at this point.