In this awkward but diverting tale, Brewer (The Poet of Tolstoy Park
) recounts the story of the search for his beloved golden retriever, Cormac, who goes missing while Brewer is on a book tour. Brewer begins his “mostly true” Marley cash-in by introducing readers to Fairhope, Ala., where life is genial and, perhaps surprisingly to outsiders, quite sophisticated. Brewer also introduces us to Cormac, who is lovely but not unique in the dog kingdom. (His distinguishing features are loyalty, fear of thunder and an ability to “speak” in throaty moans.) Unfortunately, much of the narrative is filled with mundane details (the type of coffee Brewer buys for his bookshop), unpiquant filler (a none-too-funny chapter on rousting a squirrel from the garage with Cormac) and banal descriptions of plot points, such as Brewer's purchasing of the underground electric fence that keeps Cormac in the yard. But in the latter third of the book, which covers Brewer's weeks-long search for Cormac, the amiable, talky style gains a welcome clarity and momentum, leading to a satisfying denouement, for dog lovers in particular. (Sept.)
