Genre: humour, biography
It’s a very charming book providing an extremely fresh perspective towards people, from the eyes of a dog. Boy is a pure-bred paranoid living under delusions of grandeur. He recounts his various adventures with the plumber, with the neighbors’ chickens, with the neighbor’s dog, with the alley cat… Each is equally entertaining and hilarious.
I lurve the dog cuz he’s quite like me… first, I’m anti-cat! I can’t stand cats, they send shivers down my spine and when I was young, I used to be plagued by nightmares of cats. I’ve taken a paragraph out from the book that describes cats, ‘To this day, after that youthful trauma, I can never look on cats with any genuine enthusiasm. And I never cease to marvel at the popularity enjoyed by Felis domesticus. What is he, after all, but an antisocial fur ball with delusions of superiority? The rot started thousands of years ago, as any historian will tell you, with the Egyptians. For some reason – addled brains due to the climate, possibly, or madness brought on by building too many pyramids – they elevated the status of the cat from common mouse-catcher to religious object, protector of the Pharoah’s kitty litter and icon-in-chief. Cats, of course, being altogether too pleased with themselves from birth onwards, took this as their due and lorded it over the desert sands, taking a front seat at King Tut’s dinner parties, having their paws anointed with sacred unguents, giving up mousing for a life of idleness, and generally being obnoxious. And that has been their lot ever since. When the rule of the Pharaoh’s collapsed – which it was bound to do, given the misguided people in charge – you might have thought that the world would have learned a simple lesson in cause and effect: namely, cat-worshipers come to a sticky end. The best they can hope for is a full-length bandage and parking space in a badly ventilated tomb. And another thing: you won’t find Tiddles curled up at their feet in eternal loyalty. If he’s given half a chance, he’s off looking for the next soft touch.’ And this exemplifies my feelings towards cats. They are too mean for me.
Second, I like to look at ants, and how they move in such well-coordinated lines… like marching soldiers. That’s one of the best things to do at the beach, when you’re tired of cycling, swimming or baking in the sun.
Apart from all the funny twists and turns and quirks in Boy’s character, I recommend this book for all those feeling down. They say ‘laughter’s the best medicine’ and this book sure makes a fantastic cure for depression, ennui or any negative feelings. What better thing to do on a grey rainy afternoon but curl up at a corner of your couch, with a heart-warming book right in front of you?
