Dog Days Review

Tws: grief, racism, mental health, domestic violence.

"Dog Days" by Ericka Waller explores the importance and the difference a dog can make in someone's life, or how I will forever remember it: a story about three people getting away with crimes and caring for dogs.

General Impressions

"Dog Days" is a solid debut on the most technical side. I liked the writing and the original prompt so much that two chapters in, all I wanted was to hug a dog. My targeted ads went mental.

I know from reading other reviews that not everyone liked the multiple pov chapters which I did not mind but I agree that most secondary characters were too bland and unfinished, with some remaining nameless, which frustrated me and hurt my enjoyment of this story.

If not for the ending, this might even have been a five-star read but then again, I think this is one of those books whose reader's personal ideology is the deciding factor. This is a book about hurt, where no one is perfect, some are not even likeable but by the end, you do understand them.

My favourite thing was how this book said that everyone, no matter how rude or imperfect deserved to be cared for by society and their community when they were down. These were sometimes awful people but all their faults only made them better, more believable characters because they are precisely the kind of people that we know and live with.

My least favourite thing was how these characters were able to find some modicum of happiness or peace without ever acknowledging their faults or in several cases being punished by their cruelties and crimes. The more awful the character, the more easily they were allowed to find inner peace.

There were no consequences and that is what ultimately sullied this book in my eyes.

Characters (with spoilers)

George is a racist, abusive old man who is struggling after losing his wife. He is never sorry for being cruel and actively enjoys making other people miserable, only changing his behaviour when he knows he needs something from others. He is never forced to confront his prejudices, examine his beliefs or told off for his actions, not in a way that is not ultimately self-serving. The reader is instead forced to feel pity for him because not everything was perfect in his life and he is set in his ways as if that excuses him of any responsibility. I wished he dropped dead the entire book. Instead, he is given the happiest ending.

Dan, a councillor becomes involved with one of his patients and struggles with keeping their relationship secret for both professional and personal motives.

Of the three main characters, he is the best person, the most interesting character and the one I was the most invested in and ultimately disappointed by. Everything that makes his storyline meaningful is never developed which is a pity because much of what he struggles with are themes that we don't often see accurately portrayed in media. His ending is the one that feels the most unfinished and unfair.

But is Lizzie and the way her experiences were treated that made me rage the most. Lizzie is

a domestic abuser that masks as a victim, hiding in a women's shelter for most of the book. Not only she abused her own husband, but she also ends up hitting another man during this story and because both her victims are male, she is never brought to justice and even worse, her victims are forced to be amicable with her, with their trauma barely being acknowledged. That tasted especially bitter after seeing the way other abusers were treated and spoken about in comparison to her.

She needed medical help and she got it but she should have gotten punished for her

actions, like a man in her position, would have been.

End of spoilers

Conclusions

I finished this book hours after I first opened it. Even though I have very complex feelings about this book and was not a fan of how each character's storyline ended, I found the setting and the characters themselves extremely original and thought-provoking. Enraging as well but that can be something good, better than forgettable for sure.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Ericka Waller will come out with next.

Thank you to Doubleday for sending me this ARC.

Rating: 3/5