So, having now set you up to defend a flawed book (I didn’t really do that — just a joke), I am looking forward to your thoughts. And I very much appreciate the way that you have led the discussion on The Lost Dog, a book that I quite like but which I have to admit has its weaknesses. It takes a truly good reader to spot strengths in a book even when it does not succeed for that reader. You have done that job.

It will be nice to see what the shortlist is. If they allow Child 44 to go on it, we’ll know we’ve got some serious compromising going on (or the judges really are inept).

But, hey, I agree with Max. I have strong feelings about this book, just like I had strong feelings about The Gathering last year. That makes my relationship with it much more substantial than the one I have with, say, A Case of Exploding Mangoes or The White Tiger, both of which are entirely forgettable to me.

By the way, I appreciate your comparison to The Secret Scripture. My review will go up tomorrow (this evening for you in Canada). There I actually liked the book as a whole and accepted the ending despite my initial frown at the author. Very interesting comparison!

Indeed, I sometimes wonder if a slightly blander book wins because the great works also in the shortlist are too divisive to get a majority of the judging panel behind them, leading to a compromise winner that was perhaps nobody’s first choice.

If de Krester has successfully established the character of Tom (which I would suggest she did for me and not for you), the last 100 pages become a story of resolution for that character — with his past, his mother, Nelly, all that surrounds her and, yes, the dog. If you are sympathetic to his character, that works. If you are not — and I can certainly understand those who are not — I’ll admit those pages are horrible. For me, I think a comparison with The Secret Scripture is appropriate at this point. Barry lost me with his characters and his ending — I only wish that, like those who think it is a good book, I was able to put up with the flaws of the ending.

And even if I don’t like your conclusion, I would salute this as a fine review. This is definitely not a book for everyone and for that reason probably does not deserve to win the Booker. For some of us, it is a very powerful novel.

And about the plot resolution: I wasn’t really expecting “resolution” as that word is often used. I love novels that remain unresolved, but I hope they leave me thinking, and this one didn’t.

However, I definitely get what you say about liking select passages. I loved some of the stuff from the middle of the book. Oh well! I’ve been much more pleased with the last two longlist titles I’ve read.

After posting my review I have now come to study yours and discovered you really disliked this one! I also had moments of intense dislike as I was reading The Lost Dog, I think this was in part because my expectations had been set somewhat by my very positive experience with The Hamilton Case – a much easier read. However, as I wrote my review I found I was admiring the novel more and more. I certainly didn’t feel as let down as you re the last 100 pages of the book – I decided early on than I wasn’t reading this expecting a satisfying plot resolution but rather took to admiring select passages, scattered throughout the book – it felt a little like appreciating abstract art..
Your much quoted line of : “because it is hard to read, sounds profound; when we finally get it, we mistake our pleasure with our own ability for pleasure with the author’s ability” has got me thinking however…