The Lost Dog: A Novel - Softcover

De Kretser, Michelle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316001848 ISBN 13: 9780316001847

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2009

Synopsis

Tom Loxley, an Indian-Australian professor, is less concerned with finishing his book on Henry James than with finding his dog, who is lost in the Australian bush.

Joining his daily hunt is Nelly Zhang, an artist whose husband disappeared mysteriously years before Tom met her. Although Nelly helps him search for his beloved pet, Tom isn't sure if he should trust this new friend.

Tom has preoccupations other than his book and Nelly and his missing dog, mainly concerning his mother, who is suffering from the various indignities of old age. He is constantly drawn from the cerebral to the primitive--by his mother's infirmities, as well as by Nelly's attractions. THE LOST DOG makes brilliant use of the conventions of suspense and atmosphere while leading us to see anew the ever-present conflicts between our bodies and our minds, the present and the past, the primal and the civilized.

About this title

Review:

"Multilayered and beguiling....The Hamilton
Case does enchant, certainly, but--more
important--the book admirably and resolutely
sees the world as it really is."
--William Boyd, New York Times Book Review

"Hypnotic, lush and calmly observant."--Chris Lehmann, Washington Post Book World

"Comic, tragic, haunting, hallucinatory and
elusive, but vivid and exact, this is a brilliant
book by a brilliant writer."
--Karen Joy Fowler (author of "The Jane Austen Book Club")

"One of the best arguments against false exotic
chic I've read."--Sudip Bose, Washington Times

"Engrossing. . .De Kretser confidently marshals her reader back and forth through the book's complex flashback structure, keeping us in suspense even as we read simply for the pleasure of her prose. . . . De Kretser knows when to explain, and when to leave us deliciously wondering."--Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times

"A nuanced portrait of a man in his time. The novel, like Tom, is multicultural, intelligent, challenging, and, ultimately, rewarding."--Andrea Kempf, Library Journal

"De Kretser's daring willingness to let suspense accrue without promising resolution is a worthy echo of Henry James's brilliance."--Dara Horn, Washington Post

"Ruminative and roving in form, an intense, immaculate...novel."--Kirkus Reviews

"De Kretser's displaced and subtle characters are genuinely interesting, and her writing is emotionally accurate...a fine novel."--Ursula K. Le Guin, The Guardian (UK)

"This is the best novel I have read for a long time. The writing is elegant and subtle, and Michelle de Kretser knows how to construct a gripping story."--A.S. Byatt, Financial Times (UK)

Book Description:

An impressive, electrifying novel novel by one of Australia's most significant young writers, winner of a Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Encore Award for her previous novel, and a major international talent.

About this edition

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0316001848
• ISBN 13: 9780316001847
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352