A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

 

Summary (from the publisher): My name's Griz. My childhood wasn't like yours. I've never had friends, and in my whole life I've not met enough people to play a game of football.

My parents told me how crowded the world used to be, but we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs.

Then the thief came.

There may be no law left except what you make of it. But if you steal my dog, you can at least expect me to come after you.

Because if we aren't loyal to the things we love, what's the point?

Review: Griz lives on an island that was formerly Scotland with his two siblings and parents and his dogs Jip and Jess. Other than their family and some horses, they are the only inhabitants. Many years before, most of the world's population died off. When they venture out in search of supplies, Griz loves to find books to bring home. Their life is relatively idyllic, until the day a stranger, interested in trading with them visits. When he ends up stealing one of Griz's dogs, Griz sets out after him, determined to retrieve his dog. But bad things happen, and his journey is harrowing. In this tale, Griz is writing down his story so that someone will have an account of his life and know what happened to him. 

I was captivated by this story. Fletcher is a master storyteller and the world he has created in this novel reeled me in from the beginning. In particular, I found the intentional referencing of other dystopian novels an intriguing choice. At one point, Griz finds a stack of dystopian novels and is fascinated to read about what people before thought about life after, which is of course a world in which he lives. He even references reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. This felt like such a meta moment to intentionally refer to other dystopian novels. Of course, Griz ends up writing his own dystopian novel, as the frame story is that Griz is recording his life story in a notebook for others to read. 

One thing I appreciated about this dystopian novel over others I have read is that it doesn't automatically assume that all humans are evil. Yes, there is a lot of bad stuff and bad people in this book. But there is also a lot of goodness. In fact, that is the comment Griz makes about the McCarthy novel and other dystopian novels he has read: they are so dark and end so horribly. This book is so bleak, but there is also a lot of goodness. Like the tender care the family provides for Griz's injured mother and the welcome they extend to the visitor. And the fierce love and devotion Griz has to his dogs and his general approach to life and other humans in general: he attempts to do the right thing always. Despite his youth, Griz is wise beyond his years, and very confidently knows that violence against others is rarely the answer: "Better a brain than a fist. A brain can hold anything, from giant things like distant stars and planets to tiny things we can't see like germs. A brain can even hold that things that aren't and never were, like Hobbits. A brain can hold the whole universe. A fist just holds what little it can grab or hits what it can't." 

One of the most stressful parts about this book (other than worrying about Griz's survival in general) was my fear for his dogs. At every turn I was terrified his dogs would be killed. Griz sets out on the journey to retrieve his dog Jess with his dog Jip in tow. Jip is fiercely protective and a great hunter. The relationship between humans and dogs and the interconnected nature of that relationship since the dawn of time is explored in this. Griz feels great sorrow that dogs have suffered because of this connection with humans: "Dogs were with us from the very beginning. And of all the animals that walked centuries alongside us, they always walked the closest. And then they paid the price."

The beginning of this book, with the isolated family peacefully seeking to survive and enjoy their life on the remote island, but that then goes south, reminds me in some ways of Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. In many other ways, Griz's journey and travels through a land with the ruined remains of former civilization, reminded me greatly of the show The Last of Us (albeit minus the horrible virus monsters). 

I was absolutely blown away by two major plot twists/revelations in the end of this novel! I did not predict either of them. I love how the author threaded so many different pieces together towards this great revelation. And while I don't want to give away any spoilers, I was satisfied with the plot all came together and ended. I truly loved this book. 

Stars: 5