by Happy writer

Created on: April 27, 2008

Comparing The Dogs of Babel to a food that sums it up

This was an odd book but I quite enjoyed it, after all, I did finish it. I was not tied to a chair, match sticks propping up my eyelids with a strange reading light contraption strapped around my head generating electric shocks if my eyeballs did not move from left to right. I finished it out of my own curiosity and volition. I don't however know if I would recommend it. To enjoy The Dogs of Babel you have to give reality as you know it a really wide birth and become a little imaginative...why? because Paul, the recently widowed protagonist of the story is trying to get his dog, Lorelei, the only witness to his wife's death, to talk. He is looking to find out whether his wife, Lexi's fall from an apple tree was an accident or if she committed suicide. When I say talk, I don't mean bark once for yes twice for no. I mean talk...like a human! Interesting and brave idea, or else Parkhurst is from the Woodstock generation and the acid is still playing tricks on her.

During Paul's linguistic pursuit we travel back in time and learn how Lexi and he met, fell in love, built a life and became a unit. Lexi is a very interesting unpredictable character. On the one hand she is spontaneous, courageous and very talented (she makes exquisite masks). Yet on the other, she has an uncontrollable temper which is crippling and leaves her in deep black holes. I think I would have liked Parkhurst to elaborate more on Lexi. I never got to fully understand what made her tick. it was as if she was constantly hiding behind one of her masks. This lack of information or unanswered whys might be an intentional move by Parkhurst. Yet if I had had a better understanding of Lexi I might have sympathized with Paul's extreme project more. In fact the most believable character in the book was the dog. This sounds absurd I know but Lorelei is one of the main characters and Parkhurst does a fantastic job fleshing her out.

Although The Dogs of Babel has this mysterious feel to it...Will the dog talk? Did Lexi kill herself or was it an accident? If so why? What the novel is really about is the love between two people. Parkhurst wins me over on this. She writes beautifully about how it feels to love and be loved. The ebbs and flows of a life together. Then sadly, loving someone who has died.That said, the sideline concepts, like the big one, teaching a dog to talk, or the underground sect of barbaric dog linguists who use surgery to change dogs physicality in order to make them "talk" with more success and the world of tarot card readings and Lady Arabella, a television hot line psychic make this novel a little...should one say whimsical..no..not good enough...insane?...not quite right...quirky? Perfect!

Now, don't get me wrong here, quirky is good, quirky is interesting, a word often used to describe yours truly...How could I possibly not love quirky? But alas The Dogs of Babel went above and beyond my quirky comfort zone. Therefore the only food choice I can muster up is Osso Bucco. A delicious veal shank containing marrowbone, stewed in wine with vegetables. Once eaten you can throw your dog the bone!

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