Wild Dogs

by Helen Humphreys

Book Overview

Alice's boyfriend abandons her dog, which joins a feral pack. Every evening, Alice and five others gather at the forest's edge, trying to call their dogs back. Most have similar tales of jealousy or... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393060152
• ISBN13: 9780393060157
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 185 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

I LOVED this book

If you've ever loved a dog you'll love this book. On the other hand, if you've ever loved a woman you'll love this book. Once I started reading, I simply could not put the book down. Wild Dogs is a tale of wanting to belong; while showing us different ways of handling yearning and rejection. Beautifully written. A joy to read every word. On the surface, it's about a group of people joined in a quest to recover their lost dogs. The dogs symbolize the futility of ownership (canine and human). A quote from the book that really grabbed me--" The heart is a wild and fugitive creature. The heart is a dog who comes home."

Small novel that resonates for a long time ...

This is one of the better novels I've read. The prose is so spare but each word tacitly cuts like a knife through layers of unecessary thoughts to those truly at the core of what it is to love, lose love and suffer grief. I've read 100s of books and none capture the feelings quite like Helen Humphreys can. The amazing thing too is this is done from various perspectives and vastly different people. In a few short pages, I felt I really understood each of these characters and truly cared what happened to them. In less skilful hands this would be almost an absurd story, but it is so believable, and often sad. But there is some hope in there too, about unlikely people helping each other out. It's also a surpringly good glimpse at how little we know about domestic dogs; and how close in behavior they may be to wild. Fascinating. I would give this quiet, vastly underrated novel 10 stars if I could. Be warned though, its images, thoughts and feelings stick with you well after you finish the book. It may even question how you look at love and what it does to a person.

Several stories within a story

Being an avid dog-lover, I picked up this book for the obvious reason. Once I started reading, I simply could not put the book down. I got very wrapped up in the details of the people involved in the search for their dogs. The story is filled with sorrow, yet there are many glimpses of incredible joy in the everyday happenings in the lives of the characters and their interactions with each other. Truly enjoyable!

A must read

I dont even know where to begin with this book. I could not put it down after i started it. Helen Humphreys presents a captivating novel about the two tragedies in life. The tragedy of gaining your hearts desire, and the tragedy of losing it. This book will compel you as you read the story of 7 people that im sure many of us can relate to as they encounter love and loss in their life.

So glad that I found this book..................

This is a beautiful story, beautifully written. It talks about leaving and coming home. Humphrey's imagery is haunting.