To sum it up in one world chaos. In the opening pages the author is having trouble with his dog, Frosty. Zusak had tried to negotiate the signal controlled pedestrian crossing, but Frosty had other ideas. Frosty is intent on charging into the dogs walking towards him. Eventually, after two attempts to cross the road, Zucak scolds Frosty for his misbehaviour and they continue walking to the park.

Continuing, the reader is taken to the beginning of the 2000s. Here, Zusak describes how he met his Australian wife ,Mika, while they were both separately on their own backpacking adventures around Europe.The reunited once they were back home in Sydney.

The author says both his wife and he are dog people and then asks the question, 'why, then, did we get two cats?' 

The story unfolds, to a situation where they have two cats, a daughter, a son, then two dogs called Reuben and Archer. Both were 'rescue' dogs, although Zusak does not like using that word, he prefers 'pound' or 'group home' dogs. He describes how the cats were territorial and domineering, but when they chose their first dog, Reuben, the story begins to revolve around the dog, and later, their second dog, Archer. Both are unruly, wild, beautiful but deadly, dogs.

Zusak is a fabulous writer as he skilfully places  you right there, in the scene, with him. His humour explodes out of the page. Regularly, I would burst into uproarious laughter, much to my wife's chagrin.

It is no wonder the author is a best selling fiction writer and has won many awards. His masterpiece, which was made into a film, 'The Book Thief', has been on the New York Times best selling list for a decade. 

The only copies he hasn't sold are the six volumes the dogs managed to get hold of from the cardboard box, posted to Zusak by his publisher. These ended up looking like a snowfield of chewed up paper, author photographs and bubble-wrap, all over the floor of his office, with two dogs sitting next to the mess, looking at him. The impression and visualisation I had from the description is the dogs appearing to say, Well! there you go. Got anything else we can help you with? 

There are many, many more stories like these sprinkled throughout the book including street and park fights, public shaming, stomach pumping, tragedy, getting knocked unconscious by his dog which eventually required a knee reconstruction  and even a police visit.

At first, I thought this book would be good for children. But as I read it, I soon realised, with all the profanity, both blasphemous and obscene, and the graphic description of a fatal attack on another wild animal, this is definitely unsuitable reading for children, I think this should be only for adults, pet lovers...and non-pet lovers. 

Personally, I loved every part of this book, I couldn't put it down.

I would like to think you will feel the same way.

Reviewed by Ken.

The Author

Markus Zusak is the international bestselling author of six novels, including The Book Thief and most recently, Bridge of Clay. His work is translated into more than forty languages, and has spent more than a decade on the New York Times bestseller list, establishing Zusak as one of the most successful authors to come out of Australia.