A Three Dog Life

A Three Dog Life by Abigail
2007
Weight: 9.6 oz
Method of Disposal: Giving away to my friend Sarah G.A.

I was about to leave the bookstore, and I glanced over at the 99 cent rack before quickly adverting my eyes. I did not want to get sucked in. I had the legitimate fear that I would end up leaving with a stack of books and that potentially all of them would not be enjoyable to read. It was too late. I had already made eye contact with A Three Dog Life. I picked it up and quickly walked away from the display, as I flipped to the middle and began reading. I read two pages, flipped it over, flipped it over again, red the Stephen King comment on the front calling it the best memoir he ever read, opened it, read the inside flap. I have never been a King fan, and I could not pin down what exactly was drawing me to the memoir. It was only a dollar, what the hell?

I took it home, along with the biography of Keiko the whale who played “Willy” in Free Willy. I continued to read the Gelsey Kirkland book I had started. Her second memoir, The Shape of Love. I guess I was in a memoir mood, though I did not realize the theme until now. One day, I just put it down and picked up A Three Dog Life. I was enjoying Gelsey, but it just kind of happened. I started reading, and I did not stop for a long time.

The book is not terribly long, and it reads quickly. At least it does to me. A woman writes about her life after her husband is hit by a car and suffers a traumatic brain injury. She writes about learning to care for him and learning to care for herself. She describes her love of 3 rescue dogs that help her be more present in her life. She talks about Outsider Art. Her words are loving and honest. I think it was exactly what I needed to read right then. I think it called to me. It gets 4 stars for perfect timing.

I could not decide who to give it to. I could think of a handful of people who would probably love and, for sure, some that would just think it trite and wasp-y. I finally decided on Sarah G.A. because this book reminds me of some of the books we read years ago. The Elizabeth Bergs and Anne Lamotts. I think she will appreciate it as much as I did. We will see.