Dog

"DOG is a novel full of deft humour and escalating tenderness – a tale about misfits, human and canine, and the currents of hope and courage that bring them together." —Ross Raisin, author of God's Own Country

When 18-year-old Benjamin Glass goes to look at a dead whale that has washed up on the beach, he meets an unfamiliar dog who follows him home to his caravan. Benjamin isn't equipped to take care of a dog – he has a chronic fear of germs, and is currently living alone while his grandmother is in hospital. 

But when a delivery driver recognises the dog as The Mighty Gary, the fastest greyhound in the country, and tells Benjamin about his unsavoury owners, Benjamin is forced to trust the stranger on his doorstep and devise a plan to keep Gary safe. As Benjamin becomes more attached to the dog, it becomes clear that his trust in the delivery driver may well have been misplaced. He will have to leave his comfort zone, take some unhygienic risks, cross paths with dangerous and powerful men and confront his very worst fears if he has any hope of protecting what he loves the most.



"I don't really like dogs, but I absolutely loved this book."



"DOG is a novel full of deft humour and escalating tenderness – a tale about misfits, human and canine, and the currents of hope and courage that bring them together."



"A deeply touching tale about the complexities of being human, and the journey we make to become our true self."



"With humour and unwavering empathy, Rob Perry uncovers the imperfect specimens and misfits who survive on the edge of society, revealing the complexity of the human experience in even the bleakest or most circumscribed of lives. With a pure-hearted hero and a cast of messy extras stumbling towards goodness, this novel is a picaresque delight."



"A beautiful coming-of-age tale of a young man who finds genuine purpose in the most unlikely of places, DOG is both laugh-out-loud funny and quietly devastating. Full of fantastic characters that wouldn't be out of place in a Shane Meadows movie, Rob Perry brings to life a corner of British life rarely covered in fiction. Funny, heartbreaking, lyrical and exciting, if you're looking for the next big thing in 2024, DOG will be your new best friend."



"Rob Perry is that rarest of breeds: not only has his writing the poise and beauty of a greyhound at full flight, it can also be riotously funny. A magnificent debut."



"This outsider fable of friendship and human-animal connection wields a comforting deadpan charm."



"Dog is a delight. It's such a treat to meet a dog in a novel, especially one as touching and funny as this one, and especially a dog as wonderful as The Mighty Gary."



"What happens when a dog gives up on life in the fast lane and goes on the run with a highly anxious germaphobe? Scruffy, funny and tender, Dog is an edgily real adventure with a believable dog-hero that I read in one hit."



"Dog is a deceptively simple, warm and funny story. A lovely tale."