Marting explores loss, grief, and loneliness by interweaving three seemingly disparate stories in alternating chapters. Readers follow heartbreaking and heartwarming moments of a stray dog, the tragedy and restoration of a family who suffers life-changing loss, and the growth of a boy who knows, especially after his best friend moves away, that a dog would fix his sad heart. While the mood is heavy throughout much of the book, Martin skillfully uses it to contrast the light of hope and healing that results from kindness, relationships, and healthy choices. Well-written with a satisfying end.
In this companion to her acclaimed novel, "A Dog's Life," Martin tells the parallel stories of a stray dog, a boy dealing with unspeakable loss, and a boy whose most ardent wish is to own a dog--and everything for a dog.