Dog Days - by Ericka Waller (Paperback)

About the Book

"Ericka Waller's Dog Days is a debut novel about the way dogs can bring out the best in us in the face of life's challenges. George is a grumpy, belligerent old man who has just lost his wife. She has left him notes around the home and a miniature dachshund puppy called Poppy. But George doesn't want a dog, he wants to fight everyone who is trying to help him. Dan has OCD but has channeled his energy into his career as a therapist. Afraid to acknowledge his true feelings, his most meaningful relationship so far is with his dog Fitz. That is, until Atticus walks into his life. Lizzie is living in a women's refuge with her son Lenny. Her body is covered in scars and she has shut herself off from the world. She distrusts dogs, but when she starts having to walk the refuge's dog, Maud, things begin to change. As three strangers' lives unravel and intersect, they ultimately must accept what fate has in store for them with their dogs by their sides. Set against the backdrop of Brighton, Dog Days is an inspiring, unflinching, and deeply moving novel about life, and the way dogs can help us understand it, and each other, a little better"--

Book Synopsis

Ericka Waller's Dog Days is a debut novel about the way dogs can bring out the best in us in the face of life's challenges.

George is a grumpy, belligerent old man who has just lost his wife. She has left him notes around the home and a miniature dachshund puppy called Poppy. But George doesn't want a dog, he wants to fight everyone who is trying to help him.

Dan has OCD but has channeled his energy into his career as a therapist. Afraid to acknowledge his true feelings, his most meaningful relationship so far is with his dog Fitz. That is, until Atticus walks into his life.

Lizzie is living in a women's refuge with her son Lenny. Her body is covered in scars and she has shut herself off from the world. She distrusts dogs, but when she starts having to walk the refuge's dog, Maud, things begin to change.

As three strangers' lives unravel and intersect, they ultimately must accept what fate has in store for them with their dogs by their sides. Set against the backdrop of Brighton, Dog Days is an inspiring, unflinching, and deeply moving novel about life, and the way dogs can help us understand it, and each other, a little better.

Review Quotes

"Gentle but poignant, moving but uplifting, suffused with different kinds of love and loss."--Vanity Fair

It takes great heart and a steady hand on the tiller to bring a set of characters--human and canine--to life on the page and Ericka Waller has both. With an equally deft hand at a compelling story line, Waller draws the reader into this tender, complicated novel of love, loss and self-discovery.--Susan Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of One Good Dog and What a Dog Knows

Dog Days is an emotional tour-de-force that will leave you with the whole-hearted understanding that dogs really do bring people (even the most unlikely of us) together.--Annie England Noblin, author of Sit, Stay, Speak and Pupcakes

Dog Days is a Russian doll of a book that twists and tugs each outer husk, revealing delicate and poignant inner layers. Irascible old bastard George, with the soft core of a Scotch egg; Dan, a shy counsellor who keeps his jazz hands firmly lowered; Lizzie, a fragile, fact-loving mother weighed down by scars and secrets. It's a soulful, lyrical tale that brings them - and their dogs - together in a satisfying whole. Such a treat.--Beth Morrey, author of Saving Missy

This was such an emotional read and the perfect mix of humour and heartache.--Good Housekeeping

Deftly drawn... a warm debut about loss, healing and making new connections."--The Mail on Sunday

Oh, now here is a novel to cherish. Dog Days is a refreshingly inventive, rejuvenating story of the intertwining lives of three people and their dogs, and its author, Ericka Waller, writes with such confidence, sensitivity and panache that even if you don't give a damn about dogs, it won't matter. While it is evident that Waller loves people (and dogs) and their foibles, she clearly loves writing, too - which is essential, if your work is to be at all interesting. She writes as well about life's pain and rage as she does about its joys and epiphanies, and not only is she a good storyteller but she's capacious and witty with it. Her narrative has swing and pace but she knows how to handle quiet moments, too. The overall quality of Dog Days is embedded in its contrasts, and Waller's seriousness and lightness of touch combine beautifully in a novel that is poignant and delightful in equal measure.--Mary Loudon, author of My House Is Falling Down

A charming, surprising and moving story of three troubled characters' encounter with love, grief, healing...and dogs!--Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

Tender, humorous and hopeful.--Lissa Evans, author of V for Victory and Crooked Heart

Dog Days is an intriguing mosaic in which the human characters are full of foibles and the dogs are gloriously doggy. Funny, sad, gritty and beautifully told, this story will make you look at life again and appreciate the small acts of kindness that make everything worthwhile.--Hazel Prior, author of Away with the Penguins

Dog Days is a beautiful novel, filled with poignancy and humour. Ericka Waller looks closely at life with all its ghosts and new beginnings, finding glitter in the dark and hope where there is healing.--Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry Paul

A glorious read full of love and humour."--The Irish Examiner

Very hard to believe it's a debut novel... simply pawfect."--New Books Magazine

About The Author

ERICKA WALLER is an award-winning author who lives in Brighton, UK with her husband, three daughters and petting zoo. She's been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen.