At first glance, Jonathan has it all. Fresh out of college, he is living in Manhattan and working at an ad agency with his best friend. He is engaged and about to be married. He even has two dogs, his brother's pets that he couldn't take overseas so they are staying with Jonathan. But when the top layer is peeled back a bit, Jonathan's life is anything but perfect. He hates his job where he has no creative input and spends his days drawing his masterpiece, a comic version of the nine levels of hell. His Manhattan apartment is one that doesn't even have a lease and he's not sure who owns it or when they will want it back. His friends don't like his fiancee, who is an uptight, organized type, and now that it's getting closer, Jonathan isn't sure the wedding is a good idea either.
The only constant are the dogs. They never complain, never seem to think Jonathan has made a major mess of his life. They seem to support him in ways that others think are in his head but he's almost sure they are guiding his life. But that's nuts, isn't it? Is Jonathan headed for a crisis or is everything bound to work out fine?
Meg Rosoff has written an engaging novel with a protagonist the reader can't help but fall in love with. Jonathan is the child everyone wants to protect, the good guy who just can't seem to catch a break but possibly, he is about to take charge of his life. Rosoff has written six novels. Her first, How I Live Now, was nominated for the Orange Prize for Women's Literature. Subsequent novels have been nominated for such awards as the National Book Award and the Carnegie Medal. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.
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