I randomly picked up 'When Mr Dog Bites' in a library I had nipped into to use the loo.
I'd already picked up a few books (recipe books, I'm an appalling cook so goodness knows where I thought I was going to get with those and When Mr Dog Bites.....the recipe books are back in the library and I've yet to open them) and figured a new fiction book was in order, I'd given books a bit of a rest for a few months and decided I wanted to lose myself in someone else's story.
I'd already picked up a few books (recipe books, I'm an appalling cook so goodness knows where I thought I was going to get with those and When Mr Dog Bites.....the recipe books are back in the library and I've yet to open them) and figured a new fiction book was in order, I'd given books a bit of a rest for a few months and decided I wanted to lose myself in someone else's story.
For the past few weeks, that person's story has been Dylan Mint.
It's the kind of story I'd normally finish in one or two sittings but because I started reading it on holiday, I got a little preoccupied with sight seeing.
I instantly warmed to Dylan Mint, he's Scottish, he's funny and he's brave. These are all traits I like in a protagonist.
Although its a primary focus in the story, I often forgot about Dylan's tourettes unless he happened to have an outburst, which in a way made me feel like he was someone I knew. It was just a part of him I knew was there and wasn't especially watching out for.
I won't go into too much detail on the narrative as I wouldn't like to spoil the story for anyone who might want to read it.
One thing that struck me however, was that just how easy it is to let one assumption take over how you think.
Dylan overheard his mother and a doctor having a conversation which lead him to believe that his days were numbered. This assumption took over his thought process and at times his actions.
I can be like that sometimes. I get an idea in my head and it influences me in other ways, sometimes its healthy, sometimes it isn't.
A key theme in When Mr Dog Bites is friendship, Dylan's fierce loyalty and warmness towards his best friend Amir is a central part of the story. They look out for each other, they protect each other, they want the other to be happy and they communicate that warmness through a very relatable and warm laddish banter.
The author has a few other books and after reading 'When Mr Dog Bites' I'd defitiely be keen to give them a go.
It's the kind of story I'd normally finish in one or two sittings but because I started reading it on holiday, I got a little preoccupied with sight seeing.
I instantly warmed to Dylan Mint, he's Scottish, he's funny and he's brave. These are all traits I like in a protagonist.
Although its a primary focus in the story, I often forgot about Dylan's tourettes unless he happened to have an outburst, which in a way made me feel like he was someone I knew. It was just a part of him I knew was there and wasn't especially watching out for.
I won't go into too much detail on the narrative as I wouldn't like to spoil the story for anyone who might want to read it.
One thing that struck me however, was that just how easy it is to let one assumption take over how you think.
Dylan overheard his mother and a doctor having a conversation which lead him to believe that his days were numbered. This assumption took over his thought process and at times his actions.
I can be like that sometimes. I get an idea in my head and it influences me in other ways, sometimes its healthy, sometimes it isn't.
A key theme in When Mr Dog Bites is friendship, Dylan's fierce loyalty and warmness towards his best friend Amir is a central part of the story. They look out for each other, they protect each other, they want the other to be happy and they communicate that warmness through a very relatable and warm laddish banter.
The author has a few other books and after reading 'When Mr Dog Bites' I'd defitiely be keen to give them a go.
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