Lonesome

Charming, humorous and utterly engaging, this is a book that will make readers laugh and cry. Written from the point of view and in the voice of the author’s dog, Lonesome, its observations of life in the wilds reveal a dog with great character, charm and attitude.

Named for her first home, remote Lonesome Lake in British Columbia’s Tweedsmuir Park, Lonesome was a first-rate companion: obedient, mannerly, brave, yet occasionally cynical. She did not share her human’s love of the wilderness, and wore a martyred expression for most of her life. She would have much preferred a life in the suburbs, “with nice safe walks in the park and a cozy bed inside the house.”

Lonesome’s memoirs paint a vivid and not altogether flattering picture of her life with Chris, but as she states, “I am not a vindictive creature and this book will remain family reading.” Lonesome loftily points out in her introduction that her book focuses on events not already recounted in Chris’s previous books, and she shares her unique canine perspective on their day-to-day life in the wilds.