The Dogs of Babel

by Carolyn Parkhurst, is a very interesting book.

From the start of the book, it grasped my interest and throughout the whole book it kept me from putting the book down even once. I think I am into short stories these day. It very unusual for me to start a book that's very short...because I like to read something that lasts a long time.... at least 600+pages. That should keep me busy for a while and fully entertained too :-)

I am terrible at giving reviews on anything...so here's a brief outline. It's a simple read.

Paul narrates the story here. He is desperate and is trying to deal with his wife's death at the same time...trying to find out why, how, etc. He wasn't home when she died (accidental or otherwise), only witness was the dog they had. And in desperation to find out the why's and the how's he starts to pursue an unlikely idea of teaching dogs to talk.

In the process, the bond the dog has with their owners are shown... some things just so heart touching. After Lexy died, he sees the dog one day with Lexy's sweater...lying next to it as if he could try and be close to her that way. At that moment he asks the dog...

"where's Lexy? Go get Lexy !! And all of a sudden, she's off, running wildly from room to room. ... she charges through the house, sniffing in corners and barking."

That was just so sad.... [made me wanna cry :'( ]
Your pets have so strong of a bond with you, they seem to go through the same pains as you would when you lose someone.

He narrates his own feelings/thoughts and what he went through after realizing that his wife Lexy has died. He wonders if this was indeed a suicide and if it was, why and when did she decide to kill herself. He had taken everything for granted that he had no idea that she was in that state of mind. He wonders why? ... he hadn't noticed any changes? How come he had missed all the signs?....was there any signs? did he not know her at all? All the question seemed to overwhelm him.... He started to question everything that he had ever known since he knew Lexy... There is this line...that I like and find some truth in it...

"It's true isn't it, that each of us has two hearts? The secret heart, curled up behind a first, living gnarled and shrunken beneath the plain, open one we use every day... I realize there are things about her I will never know. It's not the content of our dreams that gives our second heart its dark color; it's the thoughts that go through our heads in those wakeful moments when sleep won't come. And those are the things we never tell anyone at all."

At the end, can we really know anyone? No matter how much you spend the time with the person, no matter how much you love a person, if the person decides to keep it from you....then they can hide anything successfully. Was it him that wasn't paying attention? maybe .... Could he have stopped this from happening?....perhaps and perhaps not. We all have a way of hiding things from one another.... we all keep things from one another...Not all worries are shared...not all problems are shared and not all joys are shared.... it's the way of life. It can't be helped....