Book Review

Watson (Photo by R. Yanaura)

Last Days of the Dog-Men

Sitting down with Brad Watson's ('78) extraordinary first book, Last Days of the Dog-Men, requires the usual trappings: coals in the fireplace, the lamp turned at just the right angle, and maybe a glass of wine. But to make this particular reading experience complete, you'll need to call Old Blue inside and let him lie beside the easy chair while you read. By the time the last page is turned, you'll see your canine companion in a different light.

Watson's collection of eight short stories, published in April and already highly praised by critics, is a haunting study of the relationships between people and their dogs. Be warned, however, that these stunning offerings aren't your typical, sentimental dog tales. No golden days afield with a fine pair of quail dogs. No tail-wagging collie saving his young master from danger.

Watson digs deep into the psychological clockwork of humans and their dogs, uncovering multiple layers of civilization's crust until he reveals the often tortured and curiously intertwined natures of both. To the writer's credit, he digs with great tenderness, as careful with his pen as an archaeologist is with a trowel.

These are masterfully crafted stories of failed relationships, of death and betrayal, of triumph and defeat.

But they are not tales of despair. As only a fine writer can, Watson has crafted them with such compassion for his subjects-sprinkled with dark humor and occasionally with funny humor-that the reader comes away with a renewed appreciation of the strength and resiliency of the human (and canine) soul.

A Meridian native, Watson now lives in Tuscaloosa, where he teaches writing at the University of Alabama. In a former life, he was a carpenter, a fire alarm system salesman, and a Hollywood garbage man.

He currently is at work on a novel.

-Allen Snow