Earnest

Summary (from the publisher): Earnest. It’s the perfect name for a sweet, eager-to-please yellow Labrador retriever. Anna and her boyfriend Jeff fall for him the minute they see those guileless eyes gazing up from behind his gate at Seattle’s Best Friends Shelter. In no time at all, they’re a pack of three, with Earnest happily romping in their condo on Gamble Island.

During the day, Earnest keeps Anna company in her flower shop, located in a historic gingerbread Victorian on the island’s main street. Anna hopes to buy and restore the house, once owned by her beloved grandmother. But when that dream is threatened by Jeff’s actions, Anna’s trust is shattered. For so long, the house has encompassed all her ideals of security, home, and family. Yet Earnest’s devotion to his two people, and theirs to him, make it impossible for them to walk away from each other. And when a crisis hits, it’s Earnest—honest, stubborn, and uncannily wise—who will help Anna reconcile her past and embrace what the future can bring…

 

Review: Anna, her boyfriend Jeff, and their yellow lab Earnest are a happy family of three in a small town near Seattle, Washington. Anna takes Earnest to work with her each day in her floral shop, which she runs out of the old Victorian home that used to be owned by her grandmother and Jeff is an architect. Anna's dream is to one day buy and restore the house that has so many happy memories of her grandmother. However, Jeff's actions at work threaten Anna's dream and the happiness of the formerly content family trio is threatened. In the end, it is Earnest's love for his two humans and theirs for him and for each other that help heal the rift between the couple.

 

This was a sweet story and a fast read that I liked despite myself. While sappy, it was difficult not to feel affection for the loveable Earnest. This was not high literature but it was a feel good story that celebrates the relationship between a dog and his family, something that you see relatively rarely in novels. Additionally, while other characters were far less fleshed out, I appreciated the portrayal of Anna and Jeff as flawed individuals who make mistakes and yet are able to work through their issues and consider the other person's perspective.

 

This novel did remind me of a Hallmark movie. In one of the opening scenes, Earnest is injured saving others from a house fire, Anna's floral shop is called 'Plant Parenthood,' and her evil landlady is Mrs. Blackmore (but commonly referred to by Anna and friends as Mrs. Scroogemore). It struck me as antiquated and stereotypical that Jeff makes more money than Anna and this disparity in income is constantly brought up in reference to her ability to care for Earnest. For that matter, the fact that Jeff tries to quickly move on and date and have sex with other women while Anna did not also struck me as sexist. Additionally, while it didn't bother me, I could see where some readers who be bothered by the constant anthropomorphism throughout where human emotions and thoughts are constantly being ascribed to the canine Earnest.

 

Stars: 3