The Boy and the Dog
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Description
Winner of the Naoki Prize
Winner of the Society of Authors Sasakawa Foundation Prize
Perfect for fans of The Guest Cat and Before the Coffee Gets Cold
'It’s no wonder the author won the prestigious Naoki Prize for this novel, which is at times heartwarming and suspenseful, detailing true resilience and survival.' Belfast Telegraph
'Everyone, please read this English translation and keep a handkerchief nearby.’ Nozomi Abe, Sasakawa Prize judge
One dog changes the life of everyone who takes him in on his journey to reunite with his first owner in this inspiring tribute to the bond between humans and dogs and the life-affirming power of connection.
Following a devastating earthquake and tsunami, a young man in Japan finds a stray dog outside a convenience store. The dog’s tag says “Tamon,” a name evocative of the guardian deity of the north. The man decides to keep Tamon, becoming the first in a series of owners as the dog journeys south to find the boy whom disaster tore him from.
Over the course of five years, Tamon will be taken into six vastly different homes, the final one belonging to his beloved first owner, Hikaru, a boy who has not spoken since the trauma of the tsunami. An agent of fate, Tamon is a gift to everyone who welcomes him into their life.
At once heart-rending and heart-warming, intimate and panoramic, suspenseful and luminous, this bestselling, award-winning novel weaves a feel-good tale of survival, resilience, and love beyond measure.
“Heartrending . . . Powerfully demonstrates how love and loyalty can overcome obstacles . . . and how a dog’s love can save a person in every possible way.” Booklist
“Affecting . . . Moving . . . Never feels sentimental or overdrawn . . . [Seishu Hase] proves himself a gifted storyteller.” Publishers Weekly
“Heartbreakingly moving in its simplicity . . . A touching meditation on shining lights in the face of trauma and hopelessness.” Kirkus Reviews
Book Information
Posts
The dog and the boy- bonded together even when not
Oh! Ich kann nicht ganz fassen wie ich dieses Buch gemocht habe. Es hatte einige Seiten gedauert um weiter zu lesen, aber es war so worth it! 🐶 !SPOILER! Es lehrt den Weg von Unglück zu Glück und wieder Unglück. Ein Weg den man nicht alleine gehen muss, denn jemand ist immer da. Vorallem das Tier, ein Hund oder eine Katze, sie sind immer für einen da und diese lässt man immer nah an sich in schlechten Zeiten. Wenn man niemanden anderen damit belästigen möchte. Schattigen Tagen auf die sonnigen kommt, aber dies auch schnell eine böse Endung hat, das "jeder" stirbt hätte ich nicht gedacht. Aber dass das Ende so schön aber zu gleich sooo traurig geworden ist. Darauf habe ich mich nicht gefasst und hatte es so garnicht predicten können! 😔
Extremely lovely and easy-going, simple writing style and pacing! I really brushed through this book like a breeze, but in a good way! I was very intrigued to get to know such drastically different characters in this book as they all intertwine with Tamon's (the dog) journey and each add their own weight and memories. I was however sooooo not prepared for the dark and realistic twists and especially the end .... It's overall pretty consistently sad through and through, and I absolutely get why people see Tamon as sort of an angel of death. It reminds me of the theory that Totoro from "My Neighbor Totoro" is also a similar spirit/demon that guides the kids into the afterlife. I would still 1000% recommend reading it because in combination of death, this book is also so full of life! In all it's complexities and relations and yadayadayada. Be sure that you're in a sort of stable headspace though, just to not be too overwhelmed by the snowballing of feelings.
Every one of us (and with "us" I mean every single soul on the internet) is bombarded with book recommendations on the daily - which is great; I have found a few of my favorite books thanks to you guys, and I wouldn't want to miss it. But there is also a special magic in randomly finding books one has never heard of while browsing in a bookstore, as was the case with this little novel: "The Boy and the Dog"
Description
Winner of the Naoki Prize
Winner of the Society of Authors Sasakawa Foundation Prize
Perfect for fans of The Guest Cat and Before the Coffee Gets Cold
'It’s no wonder the author won the prestigious Naoki Prize for this novel, which is at times heartwarming and suspenseful, detailing true resilience and survival.' Belfast Telegraph
'Everyone, please read this English translation and keep a handkerchief nearby.’ Nozomi Abe, Sasakawa Prize judge
One dog changes the life of everyone who takes him in on his journey to reunite with his first owner in this inspiring tribute to the bond between humans and dogs and the life-affirming power of connection.
Following a devastating earthquake and tsunami, a young man in Japan finds a stray dog outside a convenience store. The dog’s tag says “Tamon,” a name evocative of the guardian deity of the north. The man decides to keep Tamon, becoming the first in a series of owners as the dog journeys south to find the boy whom disaster tore him from.
Over the course of five years, Tamon will be taken into six vastly different homes, the final one belonging to his beloved first owner, Hikaru, a boy who has not spoken since the trauma of the tsunami. An agent of fate, Tamon is a gift to everyone who welcomes him into their life.
At once heart-rending and heart-warming, intimate and panoramic, suspenseful and luminous, this bestselling, award-winning novel weaves a feel-good tale of survival, resilience, and love beyond measure.
“Heartrending . . . Powerfully demonstrates how love and loyalty can overcome obstacles . . . and how a dog’s love can save a person in every possible way.” Booklist
“Affecting . . . Moving . . . Never feels sentimental or overdrawn . . . [Seishu Hase] proves himself a gifted storyteller.” Publishers Weekly
“Heartbreakingly moving in its simplicity . . . A touching meditation on shining lights in the face of trauma and hopelessness.” Kirkus Reviews
Book Information
Posts
The dog and the boy- bonded together even when not
Oh! Ich kann nicht ganz fassen wie ich dieses Buch gemocht habe. Es hatte einige Seiten gedauert um weiter zu lesen, aber es war so worth it! 🐶 !SPOILER! Es lehrt den Weg von Unglück zu Glück und wieder Unglück. Ein Weg den man nicht alleine gehen muss, denn jemand ist immer da. Vorallem das Tier, ein Hund oder eine Katze, sie sind immer für einen da und diese lässt man immer nah an sich in schlechten Zeiten. Wenn man niemanden anderen damit belästigen möchte. Schattigen Tagen auf die sonnigen kommt, aber dies auch schnell eine böse Endung hat, das "jeder" stirbt hätte ich nicht gedacht. Aber dass das Ende so schön aber zu gleich sooo traurig geworden ist. Darauf habe ich mich nicht gefasst und hatte es so garnicht predicten können! 😔
Extremely lovely and easy-going, simple writing style and pacing! I really brushed through this book like a breeze, but in a good way! I was very intrigued to get to know such drastically different characters in this book as they all intertwine with Tamon's (the dog) journey and each add their own weight and memories. I was however sooooo not prepared for the dark and realistic twists and especially the end .... It's overall pretty consistently sad through and through, and I absolutely get why people see Tamon as sort of an angel of death. It reminds me of the theory that Totoro from "My Neighbor Totoro" is also a similar spirit/demon that guides the kids into the afterlife. I would still 1000% recommend reading it because in combination of death, this book is also so full of life! In all it's complexities and relations and yadayadayada. Be sure that you're in a sort of stable headspace though, just to not be too overwhelmed by the snowballing of feelings.
Every one of us (and with "us" I mean every single soul on the internet) is bombarded with book recommendations on the daily - which is great; I have found a few of my favorite books thanks to you guys, and I wouldn't want to miss it. But there is also a special magic in randomly finding books one has never heard of while browsing in a bookstore, as was the case with this little novel: "The Boy and the Dog"