Review: There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff

    

Title: There Is No Dog
Author: Meg Rosoff
Series: None

Pages: 224
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: August 4th 2011 (UK)
Source: From Spinebreakers
Rating: 3 stars

Meet your unforgettable protagonist: God, who, as it turns out, is a 19-year-old boy living in the present-day and sharing an apartment with his long-suffering fifty-something personal assistant. Unfortunately for the planet, God is lazy and, frankly, hopeless. He created all of the world's species in six days because he couldn't summon the energy to work for longer. He gets Africa and America mixed up. And his beleagured assistant has his work cut out for him when God creates a near-apolcalyptic flood, having fallen asleep without turning the bath off. There is No Dog is a darkly funny novel from one of our most delightfully unpredictable writers.

This is the first Meg Rosoff book I have ever read and from what I've heard it is the most out there she has written. The premise - fantastic. I am fascinated by God and his existence so the premise suited me perfectly. It is one of those books where you read it and when you finish you can't decide whether you liked it or not. I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

I loved Meg's quirky writing style. It definitely drew me in and intrigued me. The writing could not really be faulted and it is because of this that I am eager to pick up her other, less unusual, books.

What I really enjoyed was how realistically....it started. I could really see how a 16 year old could have created the Earth, enjoying terrorising humans. It was completely different to how God is normally described. I think the plot lost some realism throughout the novel which hindered my enjoyment. I love books with wacky premises that make it seem like it could really happen.

The intrigue in the subject matter kept me going through most of it. The chapters were too short for me, averaging at 5 pages each. It felt a little disjointed and occasionally hard to follow. (A friend of mine suggested this could be down to the fact that a teenage boy's interest lasts about as long as the chapters).

Bob, though interesting, wasn't a likeable character. His sense of entitlement, his treatment of humans and having sex with human girls just to ditch them the next day really irritated me. I understand that this was the point. He wasn't meant to be a likeable God. I did hope for a little growth of his character and at points it felt like this may happen but alas, there was none. Bob's adviser was an amusing character. I enjoyed his witty sarcastic remarks and his concern for the whales (though you would have the humans would be more important). Bob's pet was also a nice touch.

The book was funny at moments whilst at others it went a little too overboard and felt a little silly. The realistic parts were the most amusing as you envisioned them happening.

There Is No Dog had fabulous potential but something went wrong somewhere for me. If the chapters had been a little longer and the plot less silly in parts it could have been wonderful. It may not be for all people and some religious believers may be offended so enter with caution.