I have seen a few people raving about this book, describing it as their favourite of the year so far and a certainty for the Booker short list. I can’t ignore comments like that and so reserved a copy from my local library.
Even the Dogs is certainly an original novel. Written mainly from the first person plural point-of-view and often with a stream of consciousness flow of words, it has a distinctive style:
We stand together in the hallway, uncertainly. We can hear the two policemen talking outside, the crackle and mutter of their radios. We can hear footsteps moving around upstairs, and someone laughing.
Even the Dogs has a dark theme, focusing on drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless. The book begins with the discovery of Robert’s dead body and the simple plot describes the events leading up to his death. From a distance we see how he became an alcoholic, opened his home up to drug addicts and eventually lost his life.
This book is packed with graphic descriptions, swear words and misery. I know this will not appeal to a lot of people, but I found it to be a compulsive read. It is quite short (less than 200 pages), but it is an impressive description of a wasted life.
I prefer books with a more complex plot, but as a snapshot of the lives of these people I can’t fault it.
Do you think this will make it onto the Booker long list this year?
I read 11 books in April, the month being dominated by 
(DNF)
