A BOY AND HIS DOG AT THE END OF THE WORLD by C.A. Fletcher – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A BOY AND HIS DOG AT THE END OF THE WORLD by C.A. Fletcher – ReviewA Boy and his Dog at the End of the World Published by Orbit on April 23 2019
Genres: Adult, Science fiction, Post apocalyptic
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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five-stars

The nitty-gritty: Exquisitely written, Fletcher’s latest is an adventure story like no other, full of danger, discovery, joy and heartbreak. And dogs. Because dogs are the best.

Sometimes you just know that a book is going to surpass all other books you’ve read, break your heart and then stitch it back together, make you feel and think about things in different ways, and give you characters that couldn’t possibly be made up, they seem so real. I knew after the first chapter that A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World would be that book for me, and not just because there are dogs in the story, because there is so much more. C.A. Fletcher has written something special, a story that transcends genre and age group, a completely human story that made me wish I was younger and could go on impossible adventures like Griz. If you love dogs, if you love surprises, if you love adventure stories that make your heart race, if you’ve ever been caught off guard by your emotions, but mostly if you consider yourself to be human, then you need to read this book.

The gist of the story is fairly simple: After a stranger steals his beloved dog, a boy named Griz sets off on the adventure of a lifetime in order to get him back. The story is told by our main character Griz, a young boy who lives in a future where the population has been severely decimated. After an event called the Gelding, when people stopped being able to have children (except for a very small percentage), only a handful of people remain in the world, scattered far and wide. Griz lives with his parents, brother and sister, and his two dogs, Jip and Jess, on an island off the coast of Scotland, where they survive the harsh conditions by scavenging, hunting and fishing for food, and occasionally trading with another family who lives on the mainland.

One day, a stranger named Brand arrives on the island, with a ship full of goods he’s willing to trade. Griz’s father is tempted by promises of some rare machinery, and so he invites Brand to stay for the night and share supper with them. But things go very wrong when Brand poisons the family with tainted marmalade and runs off with Griz’s beloved dog Jess. Heartbroken and full of rage, Griz takes off on his boat the Sweethope with Jip in tow, to find Brand and get Jess back. But the outside world is much bigger and more dangerous than Griz ever imagined, and it will take all the bravery and tenacity in the world if he’s going to succeed.

Griz’s voice is one of the things that makes this story so wonderful. We learn that he’s is writing about his adventures in a journal and telling someone his story, but we don’t learn who that someone is until later on. One of the things I loved about this book is that Griz was born way after “the end of the world,” as he describes it, and this perspective means that we get to see him experience certain things for the first time, things that you and I take for granted. Griz has never been to an amusement park, or a museum, or a church, and yet he encounters all these things and more on his travels, the broken down and crumbling remnants of the world before. Part of the joy of getting to know Griz is seeing these marvels through his eyes, and his observations are from such a unique point of view that I found myself looking at everything differently. He has an amazing sense of self-awareness, and he knows that his life could have been so much different if only the world hadn’t ended. Griz’s observations are poignant and heart-wrenching at times, as he has to grow up very quickly in this harsh world. Also, Griz loves books, and Fletcher adds plenty of wonderful moments that spoke to me as a reader and a book lover.

There aren’t a lot of characters in this story, because, well, there just aren’t that many people left in the world. But Fletcher does an amazing job with the few characters he does have, keeping the story and pacing interesting even though there isn’t a lot of dialog. Griz has become one of my all time favorite characters because of his relentless pursuit of Brand, despite all the obstacles that are thrown in his way. But I also adored a woman named John Dark, who Griz runs into on his adventure. John Dark is an older woman, traveling alone with three horses (which are also pretty rare), and their initial meeting isn’t friendly at all. But I loved the way their friendship grows out of necessity, and John Dark’s story arc ended up being one of my favorites. John doesn’t speak English, so she and Griz have a very hard time communicating at first. But Fletcher does some clever things with language that added another layer to this story, and it was a delight when I finally figured out what he was doing.

Even Brand is a fleshed out character and much more than the sum of his parts, as you’ll discover. In fact, there are surprises galore in this story! Fletcher lulls you into believing one thing, but like a magician adept at sleight-of-hand, pulls the rug out from under you when you’re looking the other way.

And then, of course, there are the dogs, and the characters who love them and would go to the ends of the earth for them. This is a book written by a dog lover, for dog lovers, with all the emotions that go along with that love. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed spending time with Griz and Jip on their journey to find Brand. My worry with reading stories about dogs and other animals is that something terrible will happen to them. And I have to warn you that bad things do happen to the dogs in this story, but without giving anything away, trust me when I say that every worrisome moment is balanced out by moments of joy and relief. Griz has a wonderful relationship with Jip and Jess, and his emotional connection to them felt very familiar to me.

There are so many things that I loved about A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World that I haven’t talked about in this review, but it’s probably better for you to experience them for yourselves. This book reduced me to tears at times but also brought me so much joy, and frankly folks, it’s going to be hard—if not impossible—to top.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Posted April 4, 2019 by Tammy in 5 stars, Reviews / 46 Comments

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46 responses to “A BOY AND HIS DOG AT THE END OF THE WORLD by C.A. Fletcher – Review”

  1. Sarah

    Hmm… I was on the fence about this one but I might have to check it out. Where the Red Fern Grows sort of traumatized me on dog books when I was younger. I love animals in general but I really can’t take it when something bad happens to a dog.

    Reply
    • Tammy

      Well, if it helps, the dogs do not die in this story. There is some minor abuse, like yanking on leashes, but I’m very sensitive to dog stories and I was so glad I read it:-)

      Reply
  2. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I’m planning this one toward the end of the month. Sounds like I’m not going to be disappointed. Man, I really hope Griz is telling his story to his pup – that would be something I would do. I tell them stories all the time. Great review. Glad you loved it.

    Reply
  3. Jennifer Tar Heel Reader

    Love your review of what sounds like an endearing read and one I’d enjoy, too, Tammy! I appreciate the warning about the harm and the reassurance about the balance. I’m adding it to my list.

    Reply
  9. Maddalena@Spaceandsorcery

    I’m so very, very happy that you loved this one! Not that I had any doubt that you would… 😉
    Your reactions to the story and characters mirrored mine in many ways, and I know this is a tale that will stay with me for a long time – even now, several weeks after closing the book, I find myself thinking about it and re-experiencing all those different emotions.
    Beautiful, heartfelt review: thank you so much for sharing this!
    Maddalena@Spaceandsorcery recently posted…Short Story Review: UNDER THE SEA OF STARS, by Seanan McguireMy Profile

    Reply
    • Tammy

      Thank you Maddelena! I’m still thinking about it too, this will be one of those books I probably reread, and I also need to buy a copy:-)

      Reply
  10. Jordan Rose

    I’m planning to pick this one up soon so this makes me even more excited. I was a little hesitant, but my hesitations are genuinely pretty much gone, haha. I’m so intrigued by the premise, and the writing sounds like it’s going to be really good. I can’t wait to read it and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Great review!

    Reply
    • Tammy

      The writing is soooo good! I just love the voice of the main character, it really makes the story even better.

      Reply
  13. Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

    I just finished this one today, and loved it too! Definitely a five-star, A+ read! Your review is terrific. I loved John Dark too, and thought the communication between John Dark and Griz was brilliant. Such a great story!

    Reply
  19. Maryam

    Great review! I really want to read this one, it sounds so amazing and it has dogs, I don’t need any other reasons! 😀

    Reply
  23. Penny Olson

    This sounds like a really different and interesting dystopian. And much more than that. Thanks for a great review.

    Reply

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