I kind of hate to refer to this book as a poor man's version of Bruce Cameron's A Dog's Purpose, but that's not too far off. Although in this book the narrator is a human and the dog comes back as a ghost - instead of the narrator being a dog who is reincarnated as in Dog's Purpose - the two have a little bit of the same feel. I want to say it's simply that both have dogs that communicate via words, but I would not compare this book to The Plague Dogs, for example. The talking dog bit is not nearly as well done in this book.That said, It's Just A Dog was still a light, fast, enjoyable read. The narrator is an artist who seems to be in no danger of making a living via art until he starts painting his dog Pete. Then his paintings of Pete take off and he and his dog become the dog/art world's darlings. But when Pete dies, the narrator is crushed, and has a hell of a time getting his mojo back. Ultimately, it seems to be ghost dog Pete who helps get it back for him.The writing in this book is not spectacular. There was a sentence early on that said something like "when the finality finally hit me" and I thought, "I don't think I would ever put finality and finally right next to each other. Seems a little lazy. It may seem I'm being nitpicky but I just wasn't knocked out by it.Story-wise, the dog who comes back as a ghost one would expect to adore as the narrator did when the dog was still alive. Instead, the dog is rightly described as a bore at one point after he reappears. This had the effect of making the emotional connection between dog and owner seem less believable. You have only the narrator's distraught state after Pete's death to make you believe that.It's just a dog was a frequently humorous read that I read in two days but not because it was so terrific - it was mostly because it wasn't overly long at about 175 pages, and because it was an easy read. Just not one I'll be rereading down the road. And that tends to be one of my major measuring sticks when it comes to fiction. Will I ever be compelled to read this book again? In this case, definitely not, although it was an enjoyable enough ride while it lasted. This book starts off quite touching, a bit sad even, writing poignantly about the loss of a furry family member. If you've lost a beloved pup yourself, you'll definitely relate.Then it takes a fun turn, with the dead pup returning as a ghost. A somewhat... um, surly ghost. If you're not the type to like "ruff" (sorry) humor or the occasional poop-in-the-shoe joke, you might not enjoy the book, but it's a fun romp, imagining what it would be like if your dog could come back as a talking ghost. Would he be annoyed at the sweet little pup you're already shacking up with?? Yeah... he probably would!If you're a dog lover looking for a fun read, I'd recommend this book!
What do You think about It's Just A Dog (2013)?
This was a delightful book and I hope it gets made into a movie. Loved it!
—Iman
A little far fetched...but cute nonetheless.
—tswood
