Andre Alexis's novel FIFTEEN DOGS is about what happens when fifteen dogs gain human intelligence/consciousness while still retaining dog intelligence/consciousness. Greek gods Apollo and Hermes grant them this "gift" to try to find the answer to this question: Would dogs be happier or unhappier if they were more like human beings?
It's an interesting question and I liked the book, which is set in various familiar-to-me parts of Toronto—High Park, the Beaches, Kingston Road, etc. I especially enjoyed the poetry created by one of the dogs, Prince. Here's an example from page 29 of my copy of the book:
Beyond the hills, a master is
who knows our secret names.
With bell and bones, he'll call us home,
winter, fall or spring.
Sadly, most of the other fifteen "gifted" dogs don't appreciate Prince's poetry. It gets him into serious trouble. Ultimately this is a sad book, but it's also entertaining, insightful, and thought-provoking.
Author Andre Alexis was born in Trinidad. He has lived, written, and won major writing awards in Canada for many years.
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