I rarely step into the world of the memoir unless I've met someone who inspires me to give it a shot. I heard Mark Doty speak at this year's Saints and Sinners in New Orleans, and nabbed this book immediately thereafter.

The book is clever - at first you believe you'll be reading "just" a story about the life of this one particular dog, but it's very quickly obvious that this dog, like all dogs, has woven his way into every part of the lives of his people, and the story widens and narrows in scope throughout the lifetime of this lovely animal.

In parts touching, in parts funny, in parts gut-wrenchingly honest, and everything in between, I was not expecting this book to go to all the places it went. Doty's gentle way of nudging just enough of a description into your lap that the memoir comes alive is quite deft.

Dogs live shorter lives than we do, and this slice of Doty's life, told only while this animal was his companion, is an interesting way to tell a part of his own tale. Events unfolding in Doty's life seem reflected in the loving eyes of his dog, and there's a kind of counterpoint that results that is quite charming. The dog steals the show, of course, but one is left with the impression that Doty wouldn't have it any other way.