It’s possible that you are not familiar with Dean Koontz—but unlikely! He is known for his fantasy-thriller mysteries, has sold millions of copies of his books worldwide, and continues to come up with stories that, in my personal opinion, just improve over time.

If you ARE a Koontz fan, I’ll just mention a few of my top favorites: “The Darkest Evening of the Year”; “One Door Away from Heaven”; “Watcher,” which I believe was one of his earliest; and “Breathless,” a recent offering.

The common element in each of these tales happens to be a dog; each canine demonstrates remarkable qualities. I love the pure creativity of his stories, and the twists and turns of his imagination. And I always marvel at the unending stream of characters who populate these books. Koontz has a knack for imbuing the most minor character with vivid individuality, as though he has private access to a secret data base which details the idiosyncrasies of millions of obscure human beings—especially villainous ones! Truth IS often stranger than fiction!

With all of that in mind, “A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog ” is a totally different type of story; it is Dean Koontz’s memoir, framed by his intimate account of his first experience ever as a dog parent. I was fascinated by these two aspects of the book: the manner in which his first dog impacted his life, and the life of his wife, Gerda; and the behind-the-scenes glimpse of the private life and character of the author himself. I had always liked the man behind the books, based solely on what I discerned from reading the fiction. My positive impression of the man was confirmed by, for the first time, having access to some of the facts of his life.

I do not often read autobiographies. I was very glad that I chose to read this one. It is the story of personal character development, the evolution of a writer who has made the deliberate choice to steward and discipline a God-given literary talent. But the most important element, to me, was the sharing of one special relationship with a very unique Golden Retriever, Trixie.

Trixie was trained as an assistance dog, and, due to injury, was retired from active service. Such dogs are offered for adoption to carefully-screened families. They are already highly trained, with amazing personalities. You cannot fail to just love reading about this special girl!!! I am purposely giving NO details! I don’t want to spoil your journey of discovery, should you, as I hope, choose to read about her for yourself. Incidentally, there are also some nice little books written “by” Trixie herself, for example, “Bliss To You.” In fact, while writing this, this morning, I did a quick check of the Dean Koontz main website, and clicked on the “Trixie” bar—it is utterly darling!

If you are a pet owner, you know from the outset that there will come a time of terrible loss; they just have much shorter life spans. Therefore, you have made the gloriously joyful choice to experience unconditional love, and to undertake payment of the inevitable price. My husband and I had never owned a dog until our own Kachina, “First Dog,” came into our lives (another story…life provides endless material!). We learned, from scratch, the high standards of commitment required; we reveled in the million-dollar daily payback from this sweet girl; and we bowed our very souls to the unspeakable grief of losing her. When I read “A Big Little Life,” I discovered a kindred spirit, and a commonality of human experience in both the joy and the grief expressed on every page. I knew, going in, that there would be no happy ending—just as you know the same when adopting a new pet. But it is no reason to flee from the experience.

In the words of Trixie Koontz, “Bliss to you.”

If you would like to buy the reviewed book, here is a link to it on Amazon:

A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog

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