posted on 11 Feb 2018

A Different Dog by Paul Jennings

Australian novelist Paul Jennings has racked-up over a hundred books for younger readers and you can see all his skill and experience at work in A Different Dog. It’s only a short read but it’s an intense one packed with mystery, adventure and tragedy.

The story is told by a boy from a disadvantaged background who, we soon discover, can’t speak. We join him as he’s heading out on a wintery day to take part in a fun run charity fund-raiser on the mountain and encounters school mates being driven to the venue by their richer parents. He turns down the offer of a lift as the children mock him for his inability to speak and his make-do clothing and trudges on up the hill. Little does he know that he’s about to be plunged into a frightening rescue attempt as a van heading up the mountain skids off the road and plunges over the edge.

Unable to call for help the boy slips, slides and tumbles down the slope only to discover the van driver is dead and his dog seemingly knocked unconscious. Dressing the animal in his parka the boy waits for the dog to recover consciousness and heads off with him, continuing down the hillside in attempt to find help. But the boy is about to find out that the dog he names Chase is no ordinary pooch. Why does Chase suddenly freeze as still as a statue? Why does he walk on his back legs? How will Chase help the boy find a voice again?

Obviously, I’m not telling you because you’re going to read it yourself. Paul Jennings has given us a story that is full of layers that will, I suspect, appeal to adults as much as to younger readers. The writing has a sort of poetic intensity and it treats its themes of friendship, marginalisation and emotional damage seriously without being obvious or preachy. Jennings has included an afterword that tells us something about the origins of the story and the influence of other great writers on his approach to storytelling. But perhaps more importantly it was an experience in his own life that opened up the chance to tell this tale:

I can tell you how I think A Different Dog came into being. When I was eight years old, I had to bury a dead dog. This unpleasant memory was the starting point for  my new book. I began writing about how I felt while I was digging the grave for the poor animal.

But the story took him elsewhere and away from writing about death to writing about how the life of the boy in his book begins to open and unfold because of the relationship with his dog.

I was also struck by the dramatic artwork of Geoff Kelly that decorates many of the pages. He’s a seasoned illustrator of children’s books and an experienced commercial artist. I like the fact that his drawings are pretty much full page and demand to be looked at – they have a distinct feel of Ardizzone’s hatched shading technique and I think I see a nod to Chris Riddell here too.

The book was published by Old Barn Books at the beginning of February so buy yourself a copy as a reward for getting through this horrible winter.

 

Terry Potter

February 2018