Review by Stacey O’Carroll
Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
RRP: $36.99
Release Date: 10 September 2024
“There’s nothing like having a punch-up with your dog on a crowded city street.”
If you have a dog, or any pet for that matter, you know the animal takes over your life, will embarrass you, and, at times, cause you to love and despise them in equal measure. But at the end of the day, they are there for us, and we love them despite the destroyed furniture, withering stairs and incessant barking at nothing. In Markus Zusak’s Three Wild Dogs and the Truth, he writes a love story to his three rescue dogs and their continued impact on his family’s life.
“Initially, it was losing Reuben.
Not long after he died, and it was typical of that dog—a death of brutal beauty—Mika appeared one night and spoke to me. ‘I really think you should write about him.’”
Many readers would be familiar with Zusak’s international best-seller The Book Thief, as well as his other widely successful novels, including Bridge of Clay. Three Wild Dogs and the Truth, Zusak’s first memoir, details his family’s eventful life living with his three rescue dogs, Reuben, Archer and Frosty. Like their size, the dogs’ personalities are just as large and from the moment they enter the Zusak’s lives, they cause chaos, laughter and joy. These are not just any dogs, they are characters in their own story with unique and
wild personalities.
“…she has a knack for finding problem dogs—the ones no-one else can handle.”
After the death of their beloved Reuben, the first family rescue, Zusak’s wife Mika suggests that his next novel be about their dog. And so began the start of this heartwarming and hilarious memoir. Mika, as we find out, started the family on their ‘wild’ dog journey, so it is only fitting that she helped spark the inspiration that became Three Wild Dogs and the Truth.
“One of the nicer things about writing books, between the doubts, the fears and non-completions, is that you learn what your obsessions are, both the obvious and the hidden.”
Structured into four sections with titles like Reuben & Archer’s Greatest Hits, the narrative unfolds chronologically and focuses on Reuben, Archer and Frosty’s stories and their key memorable moments. From the first day they bring each dog home, to the interactions with the family cats and the general public to the heartbreaking final days and goodbyes. Alongside these stories is the tale of an author attempting to find inspiration for his next novel after such notable success and finding inspiration in the most unlikely of places. A story within a story. The weaving of the dogs’ tales (oh, how I wanted to type wagging of the dogs’ tails here) and Zusak’s writing process allow the reader to get to know the author outside of his books a little better. Through the interactions with the dogs, the reader not only enjoys the moments of ‘thank heck that’s not my dog’ and gets to know these wild, bounding, furry cyclones, but they also get to know the author.
“How about we get this right from the get-go? It’s me who calls the shots round here. Chase me and you die. Touch my food you get Jacksoned. Look at me the wrong way, same again. In fact, don’t come anywhere near me and there’s a small chance I’ll let you live.”
Throughout Three Wild Dogs and the Truth, Zusak takes the reader through an all-too-familiar emotional adventure. Zusak tells the tale of each dog with his beautiful style and humour, where one minute, the reader is laughing out loud, and the next, they are clutching their furry family member as tears spill like raindrops on the page. With his wonderful sense of humour and creativity, Zusak anthropomorphises the dogs (and their cats) by creating an imagined dialogue between the animals. The fictional dialogue, based on the animals’ body language and personalities, is hilarious and easily imagined. These humorous interactions give the reader a closer view of who the Zusak pets are and how different each one of them is from the other. Although the bonkers incidents are hilarious, these dialogue snippets were a wonderful and unexpected inclusion. However, given Zusak’s previous creativity in his fictional novels, they should not be a surprising inclusion.
“As for the high-octane possum incident of Centennial, I remember the leftovers well. The memory of all that noise—the width of it, shrill in my ears. The slow burn of pointless self-pity.”
As pet owners, we often lie about how amazing our dogs (or cats or other pets) are and perhaps downplay their bad behaviour so we don’t look like bad owners. Pets become a part of our lives, can drive us nutty at times, and we grieve their loss like any beloved family member. But what Zusak captures in Three Wild Dogs and the Truth is that behind the chaotic energy and whirlwind drama lies a love like no other.
Zusak includes some lovely pictures of Reuben, Archer and Frosty (who doesn’t love the inclusion of photos!), which bring these wild beats to life. Trying to choose quotes from this fantastic book without ruining the experience for the reader has been particularly hard. Three Wild Dogs and the Truth is a stand-out favourite from this year and a reminder that pets are family members, too. If you are a fan of Zusak’s other books, a dog (or animal) lover, or just enjoy a well-told, funny and heart-warming real tale, add Three Wild Dogs and the Truth to your must-read list.
(Read our interview with Markus Zusak about Three Wild Dogs and the Truth)