Stargazing Dog
3 journalers for this copy...
I'd been wanting this for some time (thanks in part to this Unshelved.com Book Club strip), so when I saw this softcover manga at Harrisons Comics, I had to buy it. Despite the cheerful-looking dog amid the sunflowers on the cover, this looks to be a really tragic story...
Later: Oh, my... Do have some tissues handy when reading this one! [I loved this so much that I wanted to describe it, but if you prefer to avoid spoilers, stop reading now.]
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The story opens with the discovery of an abandoned vehicle in a field of sunflowers, with a body inside - and a much smaller skeleton outside. This was quite a shock after the happy-puppy cover-image, but at least it set the scene for the poignant tale to follow.
The next part of the story is from the dog's point of view, beginning with his puppyhood - the illustrations here are almost painfully cute, with the fuzzy puppy yawning and playing and such. He's adopted into a family at the behest of the little girl, but for some reason he bonds most closely with the father, who's rather grumpy about having to take care of him at all. Years pass, the little girl grows up and "no longer plays with me", but "it's always Daddy who takes me for a walk". And then the family breaks up, with Daddy and the dog heading off on a road trip. They meet a young runaway and give him a lift, they see lots of sights - and run into some expenses when the poor dog has a painful ailment and needs to see a vet. [The always-grumpy Daddy comes through in this situation, though at considerable cost.] When this part of the story winds to its end, it's harder and harder to read, but do stick with it. (Heck, I'm getting sniffly just thinking about it!)
The last part of the book deals with the social worker who's tasked with dealing with the body found in the abandoned vehicle. He's prompted to dig into the case more deeply than required, in part because of memories of his own dog (have more tissues handy), and as he gathers clues about the dead man's life he wonders whether, as man and dog traveled together, they had "crystal clear moments of pure, unadulterated joy"...
A lovely, sad, remarkable story.
[There's a 2011 film, a live-action adaptation.]
Later: Oh, my... Do have some tissues handy when reading this one! [I loved this so much that I wanted to describe it, but if you prefer to avoid spoilers, stop reading now.]
.
.
.
The story opens with the discovery of an abandoned vehicle in a field of sunflowers, with a body inside - and a much smaller skeleton outside. This was quite a shock after the happy-puppy cover-image, but at least it set the scene for the poignant tale to follow.
The next part of the story is from the dog's point of view, beginning with his puppyhood - the illustrations here are almost painfully cute, with the fuzzy puppy yawning and playing and such. He's adopted into a family at the behest of the little girl, but for some reason he bonds most closely with the father, who's rather grumpy about having to take care of him at all. Years pass, the little girl grows up and "no longer plays with me", but "it's always Daddy who takes me for a walk". And then the family breaks up, with Daddy and the dog heading off on a road trip. They meet a young runaway and give him a lift, they see lots of sights - and run into some expenses when the poor dog has a painful ailment and needs to see a vet. [The always-grumpy Daddy comes through in this situation, though at considerable cost.] When this part of the story winds to its end, it's harder and harder to read, but do stick with it. (Heck, I'm getting sniffly just thinking about it!)
The last part of the book deals with the social worker who's tasked with dealing with the body found in the abandoned vehicle. He's prompted to dig into the case more deeply than required, in part because of memories of his own dog (have more tissues handy), and as he gathers clues about the dead man's life he wonders whether, as man and dog traveled together, they had "crystal clear moments of pure, unadulterated joy"...
A lovely, sad, remarkable story.
[There's a 2011 film, a live-action adaptation.]
I'm adding this to my Graphic Novel shrinking bookbox, which will soon be on its way. Hope someone enjoys the book!
What a sweet, tragic story. Like GoryDetails says, it's a beat of a tearjerker, which you wouldn't guess based on the cute dog and bright yellow sunflowers on the cover. I mean, I never had a pet when I was a kid, let alone a dog, but the story even got to me. The animal's loyalty is utterly impossible to resist.
It's just a impression,
the white spot
on yellow iris.
the white spot
on yellow iris.
