The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst

Paul's wife dies after falling from the top of their apple tree. The only witness to her death is their dog, Lorelei. Determined to figure out exactly what happened, Paul decides to try and teach Lorelei how to talk.

This story goes back and forth between the present day struggles of Paul to teach the dog how to talk and the story of his relationship and marriage with his wife.

It's also about grief.

My friend gave me a copy of this book with the promise that I would love it. Seeing that there is a dog in the story, I asked, "Is there any animal cruelty?" She said, yes, but that it was inferred and not a main part of the story. She was right.

I really liked this book. I started it on a airplane flight, and finished it about 24 hours later. It's easy to read and the characters are likeable and well-developed, and unique. There aren't extra words that make the writing distracting. It was definitely a page-turner for me.

Also, I only keep books in my personal library that I know that I'll want to read again, and I think I'm gonna keep this one. And after I post this, I'm headed to Amazon, because the paperback is only $5 and I'm gonna buy a copy for a colleague.