I used to love Dean Koontz novels (and recently, as I described in my Brain Candy post, I discovered I still do). I knew he was a dog-lover, and I knew he had a lovely Golden Retriever and no children, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw this book.
His book Watchers, which prominently features a dog with super-canine abilities of communication, is probably my all-time favorite and one I’ve been meaning to reread. It showed that Koontz really got dogs. Or did it?
As I found out in A Big Little Life, Koontz had not ever had a dog when he wrote this book. I can’t explain that, but his empathy and honor of dogs in that story show that he was ripe to become an appreciative dog owner.
The memoir tells the story of how Trixie changed the lives of Koontz and his wife Gerda, and is basically a tribute to a loyal and loving companion. But there are moments that seem a bit sweet, even for the biggest dog lover. For example, many dog-owners consider themselves “mom and dad” to the dog, but they actually referred to Trixie the dog as their daughter. There’s an anecdote or two that are almost too much to believe (I don’t think that Koontz embellished, but I think that it’s like parental brags at the playground which seem more impressive to you than to the world at large).
Koontz does talk about his writing career and his own life and personality, which fans of his novels will enjoy. He also talks about how being a dog-owner changed his writing. Koontz is a perceptive and humorous person, and this comes through loud and clear in this memoir.
I’m a dog lover. You must know that when you are reading this review, lest you call me out for being too critical. But unless you really really love dogs (or dog stories), or you are a big Dean Koontz fan — two qualifiers that will still include a very large audience — you might find this book a bit too precious. I’m glad that I read/listened to it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
AUDIOBOOK NOTES: It seems like the audio being widely sold is the full unabridged version of A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog Named Trixie, narrated by Christopher Lane. However, I ended up with the abridged version read by the author and owner himself, Dean Koontz, Trixie’s dad. Most author-read works are slightly under par, as would I say this one is; however Koontz did a commendable job, and being a fan of Dean Koontz, I rather enjoyed hearing him tell the story himself.
Jennifer Donovan’s dog Shadow is an impressive canine as well and has brought joy to her family for the last 11 1/2 years. Her fourth blog post at Snapshot was about Shadow.
Barbara H. says
This was the only Koontz book I ever read. I got it because my mother-in-law loves dog stories. I enjoyed the peeks into Koontz\’s writing life and and the interactions with his wife and dog. There were parts that were a little over the top, but overall I liked it.
Liz says
Believe it or not, I don’t think I’ve read a Dean Koontz novel, but one about a dog could tempt me.