Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis

— I wonder, said Hermes, what it would be like if animals had human intelligence.
— I'll wager a year's servitude, answered Apollo, that animals – any animal you like – would be even more unhappy than humans are, if they were given human intelligence.

And so it begins: a bet between the gods Hermes and Apollo leads them to grant human consciousness and language to a group of dogs overnighting at a Toronto veterinary clinic. Suddenly capable of more complex thought, the pack is torn between those who resist the new ways of thinking, preferring the old 'dog' ways, and those who embrace the change. The gods watch from above as the dogs venture into their newly unfamiliar world, as they become divided among themselves, as each struggles with new thoughts and feelings. Wily Benjy moves from home to home, Prince becomes a poet, and Majnoun forges a relationship with a kind couple that stops even the Fates in their tracks.

André Alexis's contemporary take on the apologue offers an utterly compelling and affecting look at the beauty and perils of human consciousness. By turns meditative and devastating, charming and strange, Fifteen Dogs shows you can teach an old genre new tricks.

What a delightful book! To me, it read like a mixture of a fable and a Moacyr Scliar novel. Not at all what I was expecting, but still a great read; one of the best of the year, for sure.

It sure helped that I love both dogs and Greek gods.
It also helped that Majnoun was a black poodle.

Two drunk Gods decided to make a bet, give dogs the intelligence of humans and see if they can find happiness. What happens is some turn on each other violently, some are selfish and cunning. One dog Prince becomes a poet and some of them are threaten by him. Majnoun after being attacked by some of the pack, is taken by a couple and has a deep relationship with Nira, the human who took care of him. All trough this book, we learn what happens to the 15 dogs and discover if they truly are happy. A brilliant book that makes you think.

I don't remember the last time I was so deeply moved by a book. Maybe it's because I have and love dogs. I finished the book on the train and had to hide the tears streaming down my face. It's poignant. Tragic. Joyous. Profound.

Bonus:listen to the audiobook. There's a moment at the end where the reader chokes up and apologizes. I'm not sure why the engineer didn't edit that out, but I loved it.

Rating: 2.5 ⭐This keeps happening to me... I'm doomed to dislike award-winning books. Whenever a book receives high praise and tons of media and literary attention, I always find it falls short of the hype and expectations. I know myself as a highly critical reader of anything that presents itself as high literature, so take my analysis with a grain of salt.SummaryBored and restless gods Apollo and Hermes decide to place a wager on whether or not dogs can die happy if given human consciousness. The brothers decide to test out their theory by giving fifteen dogs in a kennel the gift of human thinking, but it soon becomes clear that humanity is a burden on the animals, and so Apollo and Hermes watch as the dogs attempt to navigate life with their newfound sense of self.ReviewMy biggest gripe with Fifteen Dogs is that it is a very dry and uninteresting prose. The writing reminds me a lot of [b:Normal People 41057294 Normal People Sally Rooney https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571423190l/41057294.SY75.jpg 59141209], which I also disliked, so maybe that explains things. Fifteen Dogs drags in many places, and the pacing is inconsistent. I found myself bored more often than not, and, surprisingly despite the themes of the book, I felt zero emotional attachement to the characters. The dogs lead horrible lives and die in horrible ways thanks to humans, gods, and fellow dogs, too. However, the emotional impact was not as strong as what was intended. The author's extended moralistic allegory is repetitive and dull. Moreover, there were quite a number of plot holes that required a higher level of suspension of disbelief to get over them.For example, Majnoun and Nira have a conversation about god during which Nira asks if he believes in a higher power. Majnoun explains that the concept is completely foreign to dogs, and so it is difficult for him to form a definitive opinion about the topic. However, some 20-30 pages later, Atticus builds an altar in the park and sacrifices to god (Zeus) because he believes in a “master of all master.” How can one dog have no concept of religion, yet another not only knows of the idea, but even understands ancient rituals to appease his god of choice? Speaking of gods, Zeus is sorely misrepresented as a benevolent and caring god. Anyone who knows Greek mythology knows he is anything but kind to mortals. By contrast, Apollo and Hermes are made more cruel than what they already are in mythos. Another thing that is never explained nor revisited is the idea that the dogs have a different clock and calendar system than humans. Why was this detail included if it wasn't relevant to the story?One of the strong points of the book, however, was the inclusion of poems that, once recited out loud, contain the name of a dog in the story. This was a clever mechanism that ensures that 1) the book is revisited after it's over and 2) that the dogs are remembered for their lives and sacrifices.Overall, Fifteen Dogs was a miss for me. I would have DNFed it save for the fact that I had to read it for work. I don't regret giving it a shot, but I know that I will not be rereading it any time soon.