Church of the Dog
Kaya McLaren
Reviewed by Terry Studer
Church of the Dog by Kaya McLaren is a very precious emotional read.
This would be a book that would be fantastic for a readers group to
read, discuss and delve into all the emotional, cultural and spiritual
aspects of our lives. Make sure to have a very large box of tissues as
you will most certainly need them.
Earl and Edith McRae are the perfect example of commitment, love,
family, friendship and all the wonderful and not so wonderful things
that come with a life long relationship and marriage. Unfortunately
they have had some dramatic events in their lives that have cost them
dearly but yet they have survived. But, is only surviving really enough?
Daniel McRae is the grandson of Earl and Edith and he just doesn't seem
to realize just how much his grandparents truly love him. His parents
died when he was just a boy leaving him to be raised by them. Now as an
adult he still has walls around him but can he let them down in time?
Will his fear of emotional pain keep him from being where he needs to
be?
Mara O'Shaunnessey is a beautiful free spirited redhead. Vegetarian by
choice she is about to come face to face with death and dying on a
larger scale. Her profession as an art teacher takes her to the town
that the McRae's live in and she ultimately ends up living in a
building on their property, helping with the ranch and helping each of
the McRae's in different ways that can carry them through the life
changing events that are about to take place.
The story starts us out with the elder McRae's and giving us the image
of a married couple of sixty years and how they have survived after the
death of their children and the abandonment of their grandson. It shows
us that just surviving is not really living and what we take for
granted during our sorrow just might not be there tomorrow.
Earl finds a lump on his neck one morning while combing his hair but
decides to keep it a secret. His hope is to protect Edith from worry
and he really doesn't want to do anything about it as he feels at the
age of seventy nine, his time is almost at an end anyway.
Daniel continues to get letters from his grandpa to come home but he
doesn't believe that there is real feeling in the letters. Daniel
thinks that his grandpa is only asking him to come home out of
obligation because they are family. It's not until Daniel has this
strange dream that he gets a deep gut feeling that he really should go
home to Earl and Edith.
There is a strangeness about Mara as we go through the story that seems
to have positive but questionable effects on the McRae's. Is she their
Heavenly Angel come to guide them through a difficult period? Will her
action's speak louder than words? What is it about this woman that is
so comforting?
This author has given us a very emotionally charged novel. I for one
will not forget this anytime soon as the events that have happened in
my life in this last year are so very close to this storyline that I
cried, questioned, thought and listened and I truly feel that through
this novel I can finally put some of the pieces of the puzzle in order.
I thank this author from the bottom of my heart for her wonderful
insight in the development of this wonderful novel.