FIFTEEN DOGS - ANDRÉ ALEXIS

What the sentient dog doin'?

Two Gods walk into a bar, and dogs suffer the curse of sentience. That's a one-line synopsis of this unique philosophical novel. I'll be frank I only picked this book up because I worked in a bookshop in 2016 that gave me 50% off all books! I saw doggos on the cover and decided that as a cat book fanatic, I should check this out.

I however was not expecting to have an existential crisis 8 years later. The novel follows the journey of fifteen dogs (who'd have thought it) after attaining the 'gift' of human conciseness as part of a twisted bet between Hermes and Apollo.

The outcome of this is an introspective look into the beautiful and painful reality of being human. Delving into topics, that nine years after publication, are still woefully relevant today such as tribalism, culture and free will. All of which are scrutinised and examined by our rowdy canine friends.

I wouldn't say this book is perfect, there are sections I feel dragged a little and the chapter order at points seems to need some reshuffling, however, I still think it is a really powerful read that I would recommend to anyone with a passing interest in philosophy.

Just a fair warning, if you are an absolute dog lover maybe this book won't be your cup of tea. Much like us humans these dogs suffer psychological, mental and physical pain that would leave anyone traumatised for a long time. But on that cheery note... get this book!