The Particulars of Peter

This is a cute compilation of essays in which Conaboy describes her relationship with her rescue dog, Peter, which is somewhere between adoring and obsessive (definitely leaning obsessive). Also, Peter just happens to look like a carbon copy of my dog, Carina. But Peter was described as having the heart of a poet, and Carina has the heart of an anxious spaz. But this is not relevant. I liked the essays of relatable dog-ownership, as they were fun and mostly funny and easy to read. However, it felt really unnatural anytime she brought in field experts to answer questions around essay topics, even if in a satirical way. I couldn't really figure out whether this was trying to be journalistic, humorist essays, memoir... I also found myself wishing for more moments of sincerity throughout, versus one vulnerable emotional apex towards the end, which, again, felt very unnatural given the rest of the book.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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I think once a person has a dog the idea of not having one quickly becomes absurd. I know there are other ways a person can fill their time—golf, et cetera. I know you can Hula-Hoop. You can pan for gold, or “do some work at a café.” I know a person can exist without the ability to make a creature they love thrash with uncontrollable joy, wild-eyed and ecstatic, at the mere mention of din—; hush, that's enough, they're already excited. I know you can watch TV without a dog resting his paws and head on your leg, breathing quietly, warming you and allowing you to feel like you're having a real human experience rather than idly ingesting The Sopranos, I know you can go to sleep without a dog in your bed and wake up without a little face staring down at you, whiskers in your eyes, and a nose dripping onto your skin, waiting for you to take him outside so that he might urinate. But... why? Why even wake up at all?

THE PARTICULARS OF PETER

THE PARTICULARS OF PETER