This moving, imaginative effort is certain to strike a chord with animal lovers.
From experienced animal rehabilitation therapist Bettejeanne Hammond comes a sweet articulation of the relationship between a human and the dogs whom she lives with, if never quite “owns.” Speaking primarily through the voice of her beloved departed golden Labrador, Ganny, Hammond attempts to capture the highs and lows of her life with six dogs in Ganny’s Journal: A Tale of Human-Animal Kinship.
The impetus for Ganny’s journaling comes via a series of health crises, several of which leave Hammond, called Bj for short, contemplating what life might be like without her loyal canine companion at her side. As Ganny delivers his recollections, it becomes increasingly clear that his reminiscing is motivated, at least in part, by a desire to help his human companion let him go with more joy than grief.
It is natural, in light of these organizing factors, that recollections begin at puppyhood and feature Ganny’s mother, Doeska, and sister, Gally, as well as the three other dogs that make up their family. Two of these, Kringle and Lullies, frequently interject with their own memories, and such chapters become a cheerful exchange of imagined animal voices.
Hammond’s method of …read more
