Jennifer Lane Books

From the book blurb: "This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog’s search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog’s Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?"

A novel chronicling the journey of a reincarnated dog? At first I was doubtful I'd enjoy this story. But when I asked for book club recommendations, my friend Erinn recommended A Dog's Purpose, and am I ever glad I took her advice. I hope my book club loves it just as much as I did.

Bailey, the canine narrator, really touches your heart. What a beautiful demonstration of dog as man's best friend. He finds love from an 8 year-old boy named Ethan, and Bailey does everything possible to return that love through enduring loyalty and wet, sloppy kisses.

Bailey's disdain for cats is classic:

I was curled up on the floor, with Felix the kitty sleeping up against me. I'd given up trying to shove him away. Felix apparently thought I was his mother, which was insulting, but he was a cat and therefore, in my opinion, completely brainless.

I loved Bailey's keen sensitivity to human emotion, like when he describes the interaction between a mother and daughter:

The feelings the two women had toward each other were so complex, there was no way I could sort them out.

Complex mother-daughter relationships? Hell yeah!

There were several moments that brought tears to my eyes, like this one:

I hoped Ethan wouldn't cry over my death. My purpose, my whole life, had been to love him and be with him, to make him happy.
The nice man leaned over me. "You can let go, Bailey. You did a good job; you took care of the boy. That was your job, Bailey, and you did a good job; you are a good dog, a good dog."

But there is a lot more to this novel than just heartwarming fluff. Bailey encounters a scary boy who's on his way to Antisocial Personality Disorder, as well as police work to find lost people. Along the way, he continues learning and developing, ending up as man's best friend. He certainly feels like my best friend, and I will miss him.