Reading Response 1: A Dog's Purpose

A Dog's Purpose is told through the point of view of a dog. It is about a dog finding its purpose in life. The story begins with a puppy, its sisters, brothers and mother journeying through different parts of a city finding food and shelter. After a while, the family is separated and a boy named Ethan adopts the puppy. Ethan named the puppy Bailey and the story thickens as Bailey explores the new world around him as well as how to behave like a dog and being Ethan’s new best friend. Throughout the story, Bailey frequently asks himself of his whole purpose in life and as he grows up, he finds the answer to his question through all the people he loved. 

I love how this story is told through the point of view of a dog because I have never read a book that does this before. The author’s writing style is very unique because the texts contain descriptions mainly from the dog’s five senses: touch, smell, hear, taste, and sight. The author does a really nice job describing what goes on in the dog’s mind as well as the emotions. The imagery through the descriptions creates wonderful and vivid images for the reader. The texts rarely have any dialogues since it’s mostly descriptions and the most interesting aspect throughout this novel is that you can sense other people’s emotions and feelings through the dog. 

I strongly recommend reading this book because it’s really good and it’s so funny and sweet. The plot is planned out really well and it will keep you reading until the very end. It‘s also a bit sad as well, but other than that it’s a good book worth reading.

Here is a funny passage from the novel:

"When I discovered that the snow had drifted in a huge pile against the fence, I was delighted to climb right up to the top of mound and drop over the other side. It was a perfect night for an adventure. I went over to Chelsea’s house to see if Duchess was available, but there was no sign other than a fairly recent patch of urine-soaked snow. I thoughtfully lifted my leg on the area so she’d know I was thinking of her."