Even the Dog Knows #BookReview
Even the Dog Knows Summary
Meg Gorton moved with her sister to Florida, taking only what they could fit into her sister’s car. She let her estranged husband Gary know where he could find her. And then she charged him with caring for Moses, their much loved black Labrador. Now, three years later, following her sister’s passing, Meg Gorton feels alone, especially with the onset of health problems.
For years, she’d tried to talk Gary into moving away from Woodstock, Virginia. They thought they both needed a fresh start after the loss of their only daughter many years ago. Even after raising their grandson, Troy, it was clear that if Meg wanted a new beginning, she would have to do it alone. Now, Meg has come up with a plan to finally bring Gary to Gulf Breeze, Florida.
Gary is still haunted by the tragedy of his daughter’s death, and painfully aware of his guilt because he feels partly responsible. He feels stuck in his life. He still owns and drives the bus for their hometown minor league baseball team. And he still thinks about the day his wife drove away. At least he still has Moses, who is always willing to listen when Gary talks about his regrets and all the things he should have done differently.
Meg contacts Gary with a surprise request: she wants him to bring Moses to visit her one last time before the old dog passes on. Gary is reluctant to go, but Troy thinks it’s an excellent idea. They could even travel together in Gary’s bus. Along the way, Gary takes a detour to visit Troy’s ex-girlfriend, Grace—the woman who Gary and Meg always believed was the one for Troy. Gary might not know how to fix things with his wife, but he knows he doesn’t want Troy to make the same mistakes he did.
Although Moses is just a dog, he’s very observant: Gary hasn’t been the same since Meg left, Troy is hiding something, and Grace’s fingers smell like bacon. It doesn’t take long for Moses to learn they are going on a road trip to see Meg. He misses her and regularly senses Gary’s loneliness. He knows he’s an old dog and that his time is near, but he also knows there are still important things he needs to do.
This novel takes readers on a thousand-mile journey to find forgiveness, understanding, healing, and the meaning of true and lasting love.
Even the Dog Knows Review
Even the Dog Knows is another sweet read from Jason F. Wright. Mr. Wright has a way of telling stories that make you feel like you’re reading about real people. He brings his characters to life from the pages. In this case, he even brings us the dog.
The prologue sets the stage for what we know must be a lifelong love story. And then it isn’t.
The main story opens by reintroducing us to Gary, and to his beloved dog Moses. Moses is a big old black Labrador, with loads of canine wisdom. Gary, an avid baseball fan, especially where his beloved minor league team is concerned, and Moses, are both mourning the breakup of Gary’s marriage to Meg, and her move to Florida.
When Meg begins suffering health issues, she asks Gary to come to Florida and bring Moses to see her one last time. And that’s where this story really begins.
Gary and Moses plan their adventure to drive Gary’s team bus to Florida. Encouraged by their grandson Troy, who decides to go with Gary, the three of them begin their adventure.
And quite the adventure it is. It involves a detour to see Troy’s ex-girlfriend, a car chase, mechanical troubles on the bus, interesting people, a bit of tension, a little romance for Moses, and all the other things that go along with a cross-country road trip.
Interspersed with the adventure, Mr. Wright includes observations from Moses. Because, as all dog owners know, dogs see and know a lot more than they let on. Moses is definitely a wise old dog, and his “observations” give us many clues to the underlying tension in the story, allowing us to learn it from what is almost a narrator perspective.
I enjoyed this story thoroughly. Though the book is about 300 pages, it was a quick and fun read for me. I found lots of surprises throughout the story that kept me turning the pages to see what was coming next. If you love dogs, love people, love baseball, or even love Jason Wright stories, you’ll want to read Even the Dog Knows.
About the Author
Jason F. Wright is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, creator, and speaker. His work has appeared in more than a hundred newspapers, magazines, and websites across the United States, including the Washington Times, the Chicago Tribune, Forbes, CNN.com, and FoxNews.com. Jason and his wife, Kodi, live in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley.
Buy the Book
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn some money if you click on one and make a purchase. It will not cost you any extra, and I will be grateful for your support. Read the full disclosure here.
Even the Dog Knows by Jason F. Wright is available from Amazon.com.
