Funeral for a Dog: A Novel

Seven postcards thrown down as gauntlets are sent by journalist Daniel Mandelkern to his wife Elisabeth and so "Funeral for a Dog" (March 2011) begins and ends. Mandelkern is assigned to interview reclusive children’s book author Dirk Svensson who lives on the Italian side of Lake Lugano along with his three-legged dying dog Lua. Elisabeth is also Daniel’s boss and the one who sends him on this assignment. As Daniel leaves Elisabeth for his destination, their marriage is at a crossroads and Daniel believes Elisabeth may have an ulterior motive for sending him away. When Daniel arrives at Svensson’s abode, it is in disarray. Noting the seemingly coincidental arrival of Svensson's friend/lover, Tuuli, and her son, Sami, Daniel senses the story between them as his curiosity wins out over his desire to complete his assignment. While spending several days with Svensson, Daniel uncovers his secret manuscript. Svensson’s story is slowly revealed as parallels between the two authors come to light. As Lua’s life slowly ebbs, Svensson closes the book on his manuscript thus providing Daniel the most treasured of lessons, that “stories are one third truth, one third fiction, and one third the attempt to glue the other two with words” (253). In the end, perception is the only thing that matters. Uniquely written in Svensson’s and Mandelkern’s alternating voices and set in various parts of North America, South America, and Europe, the reader pieces together the larger picture of Svensson’s life experiences through flashbacks of his manuscript read by Daniel. Pletzinger stylizes his writing through the choppy, circuitous ramblings of Daniel and the smoothly cerebral narrative of Svensson. Mundane happenings take on a dreamlike quality in regard to prose. This is a novel rich in allegorical underpinnings which may take a while to sort out. The writing is rich in metaphor yet simultaneously blatant, especially with the heavy use of parenthetical asides. We watch Daniel falter over and over as he strives to reconcile his duty to his job and his true calling as a cultural anthropologist. This calling causes him to go off on tangents as he asks question after question pertaining to the deeper mysteries of Svensson’s life and those closest to him. "Funeral for a Dog" is a challenging read and will not be to everyone’s taste. The storyline takes a while to peak and there are many twists and turns which could result in confusion. However, as the story unfolds, it does get easier to navigate. For those looking for life’s deeper meaning and who enjoy a richly colorful and shockingly bold dialogue, the unveiling of the story’s true messages may be well worth the time.

great book