Dog Days by Ericka Waller. #BlogTour

‘DOG DAYS is a Russian doll of a book that twists and tugs each outer husk,
revealing delicate and poignant inner layers…a soulful, lyrical tale that brings them – and
their dogs – together in a satisfying whole. Such a treat.’
BETH MORREY, author of SAVING MISSY

George is very angry. His wife has upped and died on him, and all he wants to
do is sit in his underpants and shout at the cricket. The last thing he needs is
his cake-baking neighbour Betty trying to rescue him. And then there’s the dog,
a dachshund puppy called Poppy. George doesn’t want a dog – he wants a fight.

Dan is a counsellor with OCD who is great at helping other people – if only he
were better at helping himself. His most meaningful relationship so far is with his
labrador Fitz. But then comes a therapy session that will change his life.

Lizzie is living in a women’s refuge with her son Lenny. Her body is covered in
scars and she has shut herself off from everyone around her. But when she is
forced to walk the refuge’s fat terrier, Maud, a new life beckons – if she can keep
her secret just a while longer…

Featuring an unforgettable cast of characters – joyous, heartbreaking and wise – Dog Days is
about those small but life-changing moments that only come when we pause to let the light in.

My Thoughts

Dog Days is such a beautiful, thought evoking read that I absolutely adored!.

In this book, we meet an array of unique, intriguing characters, the first of which being George. Poor George is in a rather dark place in his life following the death of his beloved wife. He can’t shake off the overwhelming anger he feels about the unfairness of the situation, and his little desire to curb his moody ways, and instead opts to stay at home venting his anger at the television.

Next we meet Dan, who is such a warm, loving character that you feel a fondness for instantly. Dan has OCD, and in his line of work as a counsellor, he is often putting everyone else before himself. He also owns a beautiful labrador named Fitz, who has been his closest confident for quite some time.

And then,;last but certainly not least, there is Lizzie. She is a woman who has had a really tough, often unthinkable experience and finds herself living in a women’s refuge along with her son Lenny. Her body has many scars to show the awful life she has escaped from, but the mental scars will be with her forever. When Lizzie is asked to walk the refuges terrier Maud, she cannot possibly begin to imagine the many ways in which this will change her life.

This book had me captivated from the very beginning. The author has such a wonderfully refreshing writing style that makes the reader fully immersed in the world in which they have created. The characters are all so wonderfully portrayed, and each of them possesses their own personalities and life stories to share as this book progresses. I certainly found myself going through a range of emotions throughout this book, and I can truly say it is a story that will stay with me for quite some time.

Beautifully written, heart warming and completely and utterly captivating to the end, I adored this book and would certainly recommend it to everyone!.

About the Author

ERICKA WALLER’S NOTE ON DOG DAYS:
“One of the inspirations for Dog Days came from walking my own dogs. It’s this weird
alternative universe – dog owners could by psycho killers, but we approach them alone on
windy beacons, because they have a dog. Dog owners might be battered wives, addicts,
cheaters, thieves.
I also wanted to use dogs to reflect how we, as humans, are consumed by things we
cannot control or change. Dogs live from one falling leaf to the next. Their emotions are
simple. I wanted to set them against the lives of three characters battling with real life
issues such as depression, anxiety, OCD and grief.
I wanted to explore how people force themselves into a shape we can understand, that
goes along with the stories we tell ourselves. I didn’t want to write a romance, but I did
want the book to be suffused with different kinds of love: platonic, sexual, maternal.
I wanted to explore how women are perceived by other women and the way we need to
force them into a shape we can understand, that goes along with the stories we tell
ourselves. Everything is always about how it makes us feel, so we alter reality or bend
truths to make them fit in how we need the world to be.”