Men And Dogs by Katie Crouch

The defining moment of Hannah's life was the disappearance of her father.  Her father, a hero whose medical skills saved the life of a child in front of her.  Her father, who disdained convention and made life interesting.  Her father, who went out in a boat when Hannah was eleven and never returned.

Everyone agreed that he must have drowned, but without a body, Hannah refuses to believe this is true.  She grows up and becomes successful, but still checks out older men on the street of every town she goes to, hoping against hope that she will see the face of her father.  She refuses to believe that any other man won't also leave her so she spends her time leaving them first, or making them leave her by her bad behavior.

John, her husband, has just reached his limit with Hannah and her drinking and infidelity.  Hannah goes home to Charleston to try to put her life back together.  She spends her days talking with her brother Palmer, her mother and stepfather and her high school boyfriend.  Can she solve the mystery of why her father left her behind?

Katie Crouch has written a compelling tale of how women's lives are shaped by their experiences with their fathers.  Hannah cannot heal and have a successful relationship until she puts her first relationship into focus.  Women readers will see themselves in Hannah's longing for her father, and men will discover how important they are in creating strong, independent women.  This book is recommended for readers of modern fiction and who are interested in family relationships and how secrets can tie up lives for many years.