This is a story of pain and healing yet narrated in a different, funny way. We are aware of the problems but still there is a tinge of humor along with sadness or helplessness. I enjoyed reading it and I admire the author who has different style of writing. As for me - I bought this book IMMEDIATELY… never read one review - THAT’S how much I wanted to read it. I tried to get an advanced copy of it months ago from Netgalley— NOT that I minded paying for it — I just knew I wanted it — but I never heard from the Netgalley folks - no yes or no Penny must surely remind readers of Eleanor Oliphant, Bernadette, Lisa Simpson, and – brilliantly – themselves. The mix of oddness, mystery, pain and joy is perfectly blended. All in all, this is a blissful novel that I want to give to everyone I love.’ Nina Stibbe, author of Reasons to be Cheerful

Very few novels prompt me to truly laugh out loud, but THE DOG OF THE NORTH did. Penny's misadventures might prove cathartic not only for her, but for readers as well." Stop That Girl is a heart-wrenching story of a girl, Ann Ransom, who in the process of growing up discovers the world and its people through her innocent, confused and curious eyes. Ann’s life is divided into many parts, thus, making the novel a collection of stories. In each story, Ann is haunted by nameless things and people and discovers the complexities of this universe. Human emotions and their unpredictability are showcased in such a beautiful and real way that this would be very hard for you to get over with. In the beginning, we see Ann as an eight-year-old who is abandoned by her pregnant mother who sends her to her grandmother in Europe. In that completely alien nation, Ann discovers some disturbing things about her grandmother. Apparently, she is an extreme iconoclast and she shares her beliefs with that little girl which turns Ann’s mind. Ann then grows up to be a college girl, but her disfigured family still haunts her. Her grandmother’s reappearance in her college campus leaves Ann stunned and scared.

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It would have to be Dale Lampey, the defence attorney from San Francisco who, despite Penny’s initial belief that he resembles a hedgehog, is really quite dashing. Many thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the eARC of this fantastic, hilarious, charming read. I'm not familiar with the author's other books, but I read that she was a past National Book Award nominee, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this, and I was correct. Penny must surely remind readers of Eleanor Oliphant, Bernadette, Lisa Simpson, and - brilliantly - themselves. The mix of oddness, mystery, pain and joy is perfectly blended. All in all, this is a blissful novel that I want to give to everyone I love.” - Nina Stibbe, author of Reasons to be Cheerful Marriage was not Penny’s favorite subject…. but the margaritas were making her feel “relaxed and insouciant”.

The publishers described this book as 'darkly comic'. I think that means it will make you laugh but you'll feel guilty about it afterwards. Zany and fun...Penny is always sharp, ready for the other shoe to drop, and lovable. This spinning, upside-down rollercoaster of a novel is a delightful portrait of the definitive chaos of love and family and perfect for fans of Carl Hiassen and George Saunders." - Booklist After I finished [ The Portable Veblen], I wrote a bunch of odds and ends as I groped towards whatever was to become the next novel. There were some sketches involving the characters of Burt Lampey and Pincer, but I didn’t have any kind of narrative thread.

Look for what’s already there. I take this to mean that it’s possible to have planted important seeds early in the work without consciously having done so. The oddness starts with the main character and is compounded by how she tells her story. Penny Rush is a woman in her thirties who has been so deeply damaged by her childhood and her marriage that she's reached a point where she is unsure of her right to be anywhere. She struggles with the most humdrum human interactions. Her first instinct is to be as invisible as possible and, when that's not possible, to apologise for her own existence. Penny is confused and she has difficulty being honest with herself about how she feels and what she wants. As Penny is the one telling the story, it shouldn't be surprising that I was also confused as I read the story. An addictive read with an ultimately hopeful core that recalls Haruki Murakami, Sayaka Murata, Richard Brautigan, and Miranda July” – Sanjena Sathian, author of Gold Diggers Zany and fun . . . Penny is always sharp, ready for the other shoe to drop, and lovable. This spinning, upside-down rollercoaster of a novel is a delightful portrait of the definitive chaos of love and family and perfect for fans of Carl Hiassen and George Saunders.” — Booklist

Kweekoats [a canine character in the novel] is named after Don Quixote and the story takes place on the road. Was Don Quixote on your mind when you were writing this novel?

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How was your experience writing Dog of the North influenced by your experience writing The Portable Veblen? I asked why he called it the Dog of the North; he said his ex named it in honor of a beloved novel with a similar name. Literary references aside, he said the name combined two of his favorites, trips, north, and dogs”. This slyly humorous, thoroughly winsome novel finds the purpose in life's curveballs, insisting that even when we are painfully warped by those we love most, we can be brought closer to our truest selves. The Dog of the North is about a woman who, moving on from a failed marriage, soon stumbles into a series of misadventures involving a mystery, an investigating detective, imposters, and other calamities of the sort that befall someone who often fails to understand people even when they’re trying to get close to her. Penny is thrust into these situations where she must help support people or put out fires. She’ll be embroiled in an overwhelming conversation or predicament and then at the end of a chapter, we’ll get a moment where Penny is alone, meditating on the nature around her.

From the cover and the publisher's summary, I assumed The Dog Of The North was going to be another take on the familiar theme of Redemption By Roadtrip. One of those books where a likeable woman has arrived, through a series of unfortunate events, at a point where the life she'd expected to live has imploded so she sets out on a lone quest to find a new place where she can belong and along the way, she encounters larger-than-life characters who help her discover her inner strength and some of whom become her found-family when she finally starts to build a life that will help her be her true self. Cue sunset and happy-ever-after music. It's a good theme and I'd have been happy to see a few new twists on old tropes. I have been — with Elizabeth for a few hours — in the Saratoga library one mid week morning years ago … Penny leaves her job with dwindling bank account to set the chaos straight. We see her moving around trying to handle one situation after another. She meets new people like Burt and his brother Dale with their own stories.

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Not so much beyond the dog’s name, but I did understand that Penny is on a type of quest. And I think one thing she admires about Burt is his quixotic optimism. So, I think [the Don Quixote connection] kind of resonates. It was remarked that the van in Dog of the North is sort of like Don Quixote’s horse Rocinante, which, again, was not a connection I had thought of…but I love that the spirit of that beloved novel might hover near this one.