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Drinking with Miss Dutchie: A Memoir ReviewIt's not a spoiler for me to say that the author has to euthanize his precious black lab, Miss Dutchie, at age 12½, because he tells us himself on the second page of the book. That doesn't make it any easier to read about it, though, when he actually describes the process at the end of the book. In between is a wonderful read, that I couldn't put down.
Knowing the ultimate outcome didn't make this story any less compelling and, in fact, may have made it more so. Breslin does a good job of interweaving the story of Miss Dutchie's life with his struggles with alcoholism (hence, of course, the title ... ) But he really doesn't "drink" with Miss Dutchie; rather, she helps him stop doing just that. To find out how, you just have to read it.
Anyone who thinks this is primarily a "dog story" might be disappointed; it's more a story about the author's middle-aged life and marriage. It reads like a coming-of-age story in some ways, and he is quite open in discussing his struggles, flaws, idiosyncracies, etc. This had me at times either rooting for him or wanting to say "hey ... just grow up and deal with it!" It's almost like reading someone's diary and, actually, much of it was created from Breslin's journal writings.
If you've ever had to euthanize a beloved pet, there are parts of this book that will make you cry out loud; it is very painful in spots. However, anyone who's ever loved a pet will also be nodding in agreement through much of it, as the author describes his deep relationship with Miss Dutchie and how she changed his life.
I was especially happy to find a couple of photo inserts in the book; I always find it helpful when reading non-fiction or memoirs to be able to actually "see" the characters who are central to the story.
I'm a person who looks up any unfamiliar words I encounter while reading. Maybe I was just in "intellectual down time" while reading this, but it seemed I had to do that more often than usual with this book. I was stopped by, for example: contumely; dipsomania; pitons; spalls; termagant ... and (gulp) sententious and casuistry in the same sentence. I'm impressed by the author's knowledge and correct usage of these types of words, but I frankly think it's a bit distracting to encounter so many of them in casual reading, and it's my only real criticism of the book.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Stock up on tissues before you read it.
(FTC disclaimer: I reviewed a copy of this book that I obtained free of charge, by winning it in the Goodreads.com Firstreads Giveaway.)
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