Book Review: The Dogs of Venice

Earlier this year I read The Guncle and The Guncle Abroad and loved these books by Steven Rowley. When I saw that he wrote a book that takes place at Christmas, I knew I had to add it to my list for this holiday season. The Dogs of Venice is actually a novella, although I didn’t see it advertised as such anywhere, but it’s a quick read at 80 pages!

The novel follows Paul, a recently divorced man, as he takes the holiday trip to Venice that he had originally planned to take with his husband before his husband dropped the bombshell on him that he wanted to end things. Paul decides to take the trip anyway as he’d rather try traveling solo rather than staying home in his New York City apartment while he ex moves out.

During his stay in Venice, he becomes captivated by the dogs that roam around Venice, especially one dog in particular. He spends his days sightseeing and wandering around Venice, but always keeping an eye out for that dog that trots along full of confidence. He feels like if he could learn the secrets of this dog, he could also be confident being on his own. We follow Paul as he navigates his solo trip and tries to find his footing as a newly single man.

This book may have been short, but it packed an emotional punch in just 80 pages. There were personal insights that Paul had or opinions others had about him that I could relate to in some ways and really felt for him. You really root for Paul throughout the novel. It is bittersweet, but ultimately hopeful and hopeful is how you want to feel during the holidays and end of the year!

Read this if you want a short, contemporary fiction novel about loss, life, and new beginnings.

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