Compelling, well-written memoir

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In this compelling, well-written memoir, Jennifer Boylan reflects on her life through recollections about her seven primary dogs – and a few auxiliary ones. Central to the memoir is the story of how and when Professor Boylan decided to come out as trans after a lifetime of knowing “you are still not you.”

The framing device works OK to organize the book into memories of boyhood, manhood, and womanhood. We meet the dog, learn about his/her background with the Boylan family, and hear some stories about the dog that lead into Professor Boylan’s description of significant moments in her life.

I enjoyed both the amusing stories about the dogs and Professor Boylan’s honest and moving discussion of her journey toward transition, but I think I might have enjoyed them more if they had been two separate books. They differ in tone and pace. The dog stories are often hilarious, as when Professor Boylan articulates the inner voice and thought process of dogs just being dogs:

“She had a nose for trouble. On one occasion, I came home to find that she’d eaten a five-pound bag of flour. She was covered in white powder, and flour paw prints were everywhere, including, incredibly, the countertops. I asked the dog what the hell had happened, and Indy just looked at me with a glance that said, I cannot imagine to what you are referring.”

The conceit of putting words in the dogs’ mouths does not bear up so well when it comes to asking the dog to further the narrative of the memoir. Sometimes their roles seem implausible. Professor Boylan credits half-Chow Lucy with a moment of extraordinary perception and encouragement after regaling us with pages and pages of Lucy’s utter contempt for everyone in the family. It’s a moment that makes sense for the memoir; it’s necessary for the narrative in the memoir. It does not make sense for Lucy, and she no longer seems like a real dog, but a device.

But despite the somewhat unwieldy meld of dog stories and coming-out memoir, this is an interesting, often beautifully written book. Recommended.

Many thanks to Celadon Books for the Goodreads Giveaway ARC in exchange for an honest review.