Rose is an anti-racist, secular Jewish feminist eco-warrior, a believer in eating healthy foods, and the owner of an artisanal yogurt business. She’s unmarried and doesn’t have children of her own, but she dotes on her six-year-old nephew Nathan and her beloved Newfoundland, Walter.
Rose is one of those people who knows everything about everything. She has an article, a study, a program to back up all of her opinions. And one of her opinions is that she should get to spend more time with Nathan, but her brother and sister-in-law don’t necessarily think she’s the best influence on him.
However, when her brother and sister-in-law take a vacation to Mexico, they agree to leave Nathan in Rose’s care. Rose is so excited; she has her spare bedroom redone for him, and has outlined a vegan meal plan for the week. But only one day into her caregiving stint, disaster strikes. When Rose, Nathan, and Walter are in the park, Walter attacks and kills a corgi.
Walter has never acted aggressively before. And when Nathan starts acting strangely, Rose figures it’s his reaction to the incident. But then Nathan tells Rose that the corgi’s soul is living inside him. And this dog is a troublemaker. If Rose can’t fix this, she’ll never be trusted to care for Nathan again.
Although the concept of the book sounds silly, it’s actually quite moving and thought-provoking. Rose is not the most likable character but she does grow a bit by the end, and she really does love Nathan. I’ll be thinking about this for a long while!!
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