{"id":23031,"date":"2017-11-27T17:31:48","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T21:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mookseandgripes.com\/reviews\/?p=23031"},"modified":"2017-11-27T19:35:05","modified_gmt":"2017-11-27T23:35:05","slug":"j-m-coetzee-the-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mookseandgripes.com\/reviews\/2017\/11\/27\/j-m-coetzee-the-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"J.M. Coetzee: “The Dog”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Dog<\/strong><\/span>
\nby J.M. Coetzee<\/span>
\nfrom the December 4, 2017 issue of The New Yorker<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/h3><\/div>

\"\"I<\/span>t’s not every day one of my favorite authors — indeed , one in my Pantheon (see here<\/a>) — has a story in\u00a0The New Yorker<\/em>, but today we have J.M. Coetzee’s very short story “The Dog.” It’s so short — and, I think, interesting — that I quickly read it while getting this post ready.<\/p>\n

I don’t believe I have ever read a short story by Coetzee. His only other story in\u00a0The New Yorker<\/em>\u00a0was 2005’s “The Blow,” which went on to become part of his novel\u00a0Slow Man<\/em>. I don’t see an interview about “The Dog” to let us know if it’s an excerpt of a forthcoming novel or if it is a standalone story. If it’s standalone, it is fine. I liked it. Coetzee is, as usual, adept at creating an altercation, and examining the mental state of those involved, in a few short sentences. However, if it is standalone, I imagine many will be disappointed as it seems to beg to be part of a larger, more involved, story.<\/p>\n

I look forward to your thoughts below!<\/p>\n<\/div>