Sight Hound: A Novel (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
If you have a
reverence for the human animal bond read Sight Hound, inspired by Pam’s Irish
Wolfhound, Dante. Narrated by several characters, including Dante, it is
the poignant but uplifting story of a dog who lived big. Dante believes
his task in life is to teach his human to love. He says “There are Three
Principals to remember if you are to teach a human being anything and they are
consistency, consistency, and consistency. They are such fragile
creatures to begin with, with poor eyes, poorer hearing, and no sense of smell
left to speak of, its no wonder they are made of fear.” Dr. Evens, the vet who battles Dante’s
osteosarcoma, is modeled on Dr. Walsh of UC Davis. While the character is
fictional, the instances of him sleeping in the kennels with his dog patients
are true. Sight Hound is a celebration of the bond between a dog and a woman; a
moving and often funny celebration of a life well lived.
Description
The long-awaited novel; a very special love story; from the best-selling author of Cowboys Are My Weakness.
This is the story of a woman, Rae, and her dog, Dante, a wolfhound who teaches "his human" that love is stronger than fear (the dog has always known this). Dante is the catalyst for change in other characters as well, and they step forward with their narratives: Rae's house-tender; her therapist; two veterinarians; and an anxiety-ridden actor, Howard, who turns out to be as stalwart as Dante himself. As the "seer" who hunts by sight rather than smell, Dante has some things to add, as does Rose, another dog who lives at Rae's heels, and Stanley the cat. Among and above these myriad voices, Rae voices her own challenges. With the wit and dead-on candor we've come to expect from Pam Houston, Sight Hound unfolds a story that illuminates the intangible covenant between loved ones. Here, dogs and humans are simply equal creatures, looking to connect and holding on for dear life when they do. Reading group guide included.
About the Author
Pam Houston is the prize-winning author of Contents May Have Shifted, among other books. She is professor of English at the University of California–Davis and lives on a ranch at 9,000 feet in Colorado near the headwaters of the Rio Grande.
