The Dogs of Babel

Over the weekend, I read "The Dogs of Babel," Carolyn Parkhurst's debut novel. The novel was a bestseller back when it was first published (I think in 2004) and Parkhurst has since written a few more bestsellers. 

I picked up this novel at the Book Barn last week. They had several copies of it, so it caught my eye, and the novel's description on the back cover interested me. It reads, "This exuberantly praised bestseller- one of the year's most admired and enjoyed fiction debuts- tells the story of a man's quest to solve the mystery of his wife's death with the help of the only witness: their dog, Lorelei. Written with a quiet elegance and a profound knowledge of love's hidden places, The Dogs of Babel is a work of astonishing and lasting power- a story of marriage, survival, and devotion that lies too deep for words."

Sounds interesting, right? I thought so, and decided to buy the book and read it pretty much right away. 

I thought Parkhurst did a good job of initially setting up the plot and hooking in the reader. The book starts rather abruptly with the death of the protagonist (Paul)'s wife Lexi, who suffers a fatal fall from the top of an apple tree in the couple's yard. We immediately learn that the couple's dog, Lorelei, was the only witness to the accident. Although the detectives are convinced that Lexi fell by accident, Paul is sure that there is more to the story. He wants to know why Lexi fell and what she was doing at the top of the tree in the first place. He decides to take time off from his work as a Linguistics professor to study canine communication and try to teach his dog to talk so he can find out what happens to Lexi.

What follows is a little unrealistic and far fatched. Paul falls deep into his studies, trying to teach Lorelei (the dog) to talk, read flashcards, and type on a computer with special keys. And some other weird stuff happens, but I won't give that part away in case any of my readers decide to read this book.

Parkhurst alternates these "present day" chapters, which detail the days and months following Lexi's death and Paul's coping (or lack thereof) with her absence, with chapters that flash back to earlier in Paul and Lexi's courtship and marriage. 

While I thought the "present day" was a little strange and dull, I did enjoy reading the flashbacks. I thought Parkhurst's approach was brilliant. First we read about Lexi's death, then about her life. I found Lexi to be a complex, interesting, sympathetic character. I really did find Lexi and Paul's relationship believable and relatable. There was no sugar-coating in this book. Lexi was a beautiful, talented, and unique person with a troubled past. Although Paul loves his wife, he never truly understands her. 

I think the most disappointing thing about this book is that it wasn't as much of a mystery as the description promised. I expected some kind of plot twist but the book ended up concluding exactly how I expected it to. I think what was the most frustrating is the way Parkhurst approached the "mystery". The cause of Lexi's death becomes clear to the reader as we learn more about her and about the days and weeks leading up to her death. But the thing is, Paul really doesn;t learn anything new over the course of the book. Ultimately, he knows everything he needs to know right from the beginning; he's the one that tells it to us. So, as a result, the ending is kind of anti-climactic and hard to believe.

Overall, this is a book I would recommend. It is a quick read, with really well-drawn characters. As I said, I really did enjoy reading about Paul and Lexi- they're the type of characters that stay with you even after you're finished reading. My main complaint about this book is about the ending--- it was just a little rushed, and anti-climactic. Since this was Parkhurst's first novel, I'm guessing this will improve in her newer books. I would definitely give this author another chance and read one of her other novels.

--Emily