King the Wonder Dog - by Eleanor Lerman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For readers who loved The Art of Racing in the Rain, a literary short story collection set in contemporary New York that surrounds a group of aging, lonely people who experience the unexpected healing power of pets.

Lost souls come in all forms--some walk on two legs, others on four.

Navigating loneliness and loss is a natural part of growing older, but it's never easy. In King the Wonder Dog, this journey becomes more bearable for a group of men and women when their interactions with the dogs and cats that share their lives help them discover a deeper understanding of themselves.

A woman whose dog is stolen from her meets a surprising ally who helps get him back. An artist who survives a drive-by shooting is brought a mysterious trinket by the cat he saved from a lonely life. A man in a troubled marriage begins drawing a graphic novel starring his dog as his fierce protector, and it consoles him.

A poignant collection filled with warmth, heart, and quiet moments of reflection, King the Wonder Dog explores the nuances of companionship, the beauty of second chances, and the ways we rescue each other when we least expect it. For anyone who has ever found comfort in the presence of a loyal pet, these stories are a reminder that love--no matter where it comes from--has the power to change everything.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Game Cafe:

". . . one of the best short story collections I have ever read. . . . The authenticity of this collection is what makes it a unique and exceptional read."--Manhattan Book Review

Praise for The Stargazer's Embassy:

"This work is remarkably hard to put down. Lerman innately understands how to build tension and suspense while still maintaining coherent plot and dialogue. Fun bits of foreshadowing also set the book up for a second or third read, with something new to be discovered each time."--Foreword Reviews

Praise for Eleanor Lerman's Our Post-Soviet History Unfolds:

"Eleanor Lerman's poems have sociological savvy, philosophical rue, historical recognition, and vernacular resilience. They sing a song that is bravely gloomy, but they sing it with a fierce and earned dignity."--Tony Hoagland, poet and recipient of the Poetry Foundation's Mark Twain Award

Praise for Eleanor Lerman's Slim Blue Universe:

"Lerman's poems pulsate on the page; she writes in a refreshingly triumphant and celebratory tone while remaining unflinchingly honest."--Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Armed Love:

"Eleanor Lerman's first book of poetry is an astonishing accomplishment. Hallucinatory, yet intimately in touch with their sources, her poems focus on homosexuality and insanity, cruelty and degradation, bitterness and terror, in a Manhattan demimonde where people react to each other in violent need because they no longer have any choice or even want a choice, accepting, embracing a survival beyond desire, beyond reason."--Wesleyan Poetry Series

Praise for Watkins Glen:

"It's not often one gets to luxuriate in such beautiful prose. Watkins Glen examines the confusions of aging and regret, but also the compelling bonds of family and shared history, however complex and uncertain, and ultimately one of the pure joys life has to offer."--Chris Knopf, Nero Award-winning author of Dead Anyway

Praise for The Sensual World Re-Emerges:

"Go to this collection for Lerman's signature one-liners, wry humor, and steadfast yearning in a spirit world gone rogue."--Lambda Literary

About the Author

Eleanor Lerman is the author of award-winning collections of poetry, short stories, and novels. One of the youngest-ever finalists for a National Book Award, she also received a Guggenheim Fellowship, as well as fellowships from the NEA for poetry and the New York Foundation for the Arts for fiction. During a career that has spanned over fifty years, her poetry, fiction, and essays have been published in dozens of literary magazines and journals. Born in the Bronx, Lerman moved to Greenwich Village when she was eighteen and now lives in Long Beach, New York.