The Pug List - by Alison Hodgson (Paperback)

About the Book

How do you recover after an arsonist sets your house---and your life---on fire? No one could have guessed a ridiculous, allegedly house-trained orphan pug named Oliver would be the key to making Alison Hodgson's family feel at home again. Hilarious, heartwarming, and redemptive, The Pug List is a story about finding hope in unexpected places.

Book Synopsis

"What if a wheezing, sneezing, allegedly house-trained, ticking time bomb of an orphan pug is the key to helping a family feel at home again, after an arsonist set their house--and life--on fire? If you asked me, I would have said it's a bad idea; we can do better. Unfortunately no one asked me, and The Pug List is my family's story."

In the fire's aftermath of insurance battles royal, rebuilding plans, parenting in the face of life's hard questions and a scorching case of post-traumatic stress, now is absolutely the worst possible time to adopt a dog. But to Alison's seven-year-old daughter, Eden, it's the perfect time--and The Relentless Campaign begins.

Until one day Alison peeks inside Eden's diary--dubbed "The Pug List"--and realizes in one fell swoop that her girl's heart is on the line, and resistance is futile ("The pugs make me happy FOREVER.").

Enter "Outrageous" Oliver, and the hilarity, healing, and irresistible hope that follows.

Review Quotes

''Why is a pug so good?' So a little girl ponders in the pages of her journal while her family rebuilds following an inexplicable and devastating loss. The answer to this simple but deeply theological question is unfolded through this riveting and delightful memoir, encompassing everything that really matters: faith, family, and the unfailing goodness of God in the midst of both suffering and joy.'--Karen Swallow Prior, PhD, author of Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me and Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More--Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist

'A charming, funny and brutally honest take, demonstrating in surprising ways the power of God's constant love.'--Simple Grace Magazine

'Alison Hodgson's tender lament in the wake of her family's house fire rings with faith and hope, even laughter. Her story mirrors life itself: love and beauty, complicated by grief--but never fully extinguished.'--Jen Pollock Michel, author of Christianity Today's 2015 Book of the Year, Teach Us to Want

'At long last, research is confirming what dog lovers already know: Each dog is a unique, sentient being with a complex personality. And Oliver, the snorty little black dog of The Pug List, has more personality, and less bladder control, than most. I'm in love with this powerful story about a hurting family who adopts and is adopted by an unforgettable dog that makes a little girl named Eden smile once again.'--Susy Flory, New York Times bestselling author or coauthor of ten books, including Thunder Dog and Painting with Metro

'Hodgson, writer, speaker, and humorist, shares her poignant personal story of how their family rebuilt their lives after an arsonist set fire to their home. Hodgson details the experience of the sudden loss as she takes stock of not only their material possessions but the lost feeling of emotional security and the shock of leaving behind myriad cherished memories. She describes the aftermath in heartrending detail, exploring the ways she, her husband, and their children come to terms with the loss. As this life-defining fire set their lives on a new course, the Hodgsons found their faith to be the solid foundation upon which to start over. In the midst of all this chaos, a small blessing also came into their lives: Oliver the pug. Hodgson's witty style of communicating both the serious and comical helps to balance out what could have been a dismal and downhearted tale of woe. Readers will find themselves revisiting the value they place upon their own homes and how such a devastating crime can alter a family's sense of security. This memoir is a testament to the power of emotional therapy for life's darkest times. Through the irresistible Oliver, Hodgson reminds readers that true safety in this world rests beyond our worldly desires and possessions.'--Publishers Weekly

'Readers will find themselves laughing, crying, and then sitting silently while contemplating how they might handle such an event themselves.'--CBA Retailers & Resources

'The Pug List is the best kind of book: heartwarming and hilarious and everything in between. In her family's wrenching story of loss and discovery, Alison Hodgson reminds us that even in the worst bits of life, God stands ready to restore and redeem. And that this redemption is all the better when it comes with a dog.'--Caryn Rivadeneira, author of Known and Loved: 52 Devotions from the Psalms

'This heartwarming true story concerns a family who, after losing everything in a fire set by an arsonist, pick up the pieces of their life with the help of a wheezing, un-housetrained rescue pug. . . . An immensely likable story about family in all its forms and the joy and even blessings to be found in life's struggles.'--Modern Dog

'This is a beautiful story, and beautifully told, of family and loss and love and rebuilding. Alison Hodgson's love for literature is evident on every page.'--Shauna Niequist, author of Bread & Wine and Savor

'What if a ludicrous little dog was the capstone for a family rebuilding--not their physical house, but their feeling of home and haven? What if he was the sneezing, wheezing answer to their prayers? In this tenderly wrought memoir, Alison Hodgson brings wisdom, spirit, and laughter to the story of what happened to her family after an arsonist set fire to their home. Anyone who has ever suffered devastation and loss or loved an animal with their whole heart will find a kindred soul in Alison, her family, and Oliver the Pug too.'--Lorilee Craker, author of Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me: What My Favorite Book Taught Me about Grace, redemption, and the Orphan in Us All and the New York Times bestseller Through the Storm with Lynne Spears