Oh, my. This is a must read for anyone in search of an intense read that gets inside of the mind, heart and soul of a soldier suffering from PTSD. I coincidently read the Arc back to back with John Boyne's The Absolutist - both heart rending.

DOG is an unfiltered story about PTSD, familial turmoil, homelessness and heroin addiction among other universal themes. It follows a former Israeli elite soldier as he descends into heroin-infused chaos after his deployment in Gaza. Struggling to reconcile with his violent past, he ends up in a moldy squat in Tel Aviv with fellow outcasts and junkies.

The book's protagonist adopts the name Geller in a nod to spoon-bending illusionist Uri Geller, and wears a spoon around his neck like a talisman. It’s a recurring motif with Geller fixated on bending the spoon with his mind much to the amusement of his fellow junkies. There's quite a bit of pathos in the interactions between the junkies.

The narrative alternates surprisingly smoothly between omniscient and a visceral, first-person voice.

DOG's stark depictions of heroin withdrawal and the inner turmoil that ensues is moving, and each time Geller craves his next fix, it brought back associations of Beautiful Drug (Thievery Corporation).

“You are the drug in my veins/ And I'm waiting to feel it again, again”

Also, Geller’s internal monologue is startlingly lucid, and his observations, even poetic at times. He befriends the eponymous adorable stray, DOG, and is then befriended by Doris, a lonely middle-aged woman who offers him unexpected kindness and shelter.

A standout moment for me is when a filthy, worn out Geller accepts a meal invitation at Doris’ home and she wastes no time cutting to the chase asking “how one goes from Commando officer to street dweller and drug user.” Geller recognizes this dynamic instantly: people welcome you into their homes, offer food, and then go hammer and tongs with questions they’d never dare ask in neutral territory. The unspoken life lesson here: be careful where you eat at, you’ll be expected to trade pieces of yourself in return for the food.

DOG ends on a redemptive note as Geller’s former commander promises that the unit will stand by him “because brothers help each other out.” Yet, a final twist leaves the reading wondering if Geller was ever a reliable narrator?

A larger question looms - can combat trauma distort ones memories to the extent of extreme disassociation and even projection?

Murder, trauma, redemption. This book has it all.

DOG is a beautiful, moving novel about PTSD, love and how our memory and our composition can betray us.

DOG follows a man, a soldier, who has become a junkie. His life is in tatters and he lives from one hit to the next, he lives in the past and a numb psychosis. One day, he saves a dog and this moment changes his life as it brings him people and circumstances that just might rescue his life.

I loved this book. It reminds me greatly of another book on PTSD I once read called The yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. This book has a haunting brilliance and the writer has a brilliant and clear writing style. He creates wonderful imagery and his scenes aren't too long or too short when being described.

This book shows how the world moves on even if some of us are still stuck in the past.

The writing of some chapters in Dogs point of view was a good idea to not only break the heaviness of the book but to also give the reader a sense of pain from a different perspective.

The ending made the book for me. It was spectacular!! I will definitely be purchasing a hard copy as soon as the book is out!

As a critique I will say that the last few chapters were too long and made me feel hasty but that's just for me personally. I completely understand the authors choice to write the book the way it was written and even though I feel some pieces were clunky and a bit too long and descriptive this wont be subtracted from my rating.

Definitely found a new favorite book! I cant wait to see what the author does next.

NB check the TW for the book before reading as the subject matter may upset some people.

5/5 stars for the plot

4.5/5 stars for charcter development

4/5 for writing

5/5 for the book as a whole

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and thank you too the publishers and author

Unfortunately I am unable to access this title in the formats offered. Thank you however for accepting my request to read it.