Title: THE THING IS
Author: Kathleen Gerard
Genre: General Fiction/ Contemporary Fiction/ Women’s Fiction / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 275
Distributor: Ingram
Publishing Date: March 9, 2016 (print) February 9, 2016 (ebook)
Synopsis
Can a woman mired deep in the throes of grief have her heart and soul rallied by a therapy dog named Prozac who possesses supernatural wisdom and a canine Mensa IQ?
Meredith Mancuso is depressed. Ever since the death of her fiancé, she has shrunk from the world. Even with her successful writing career, she’s not motivated to work. When her sister, Monica, begs for a favor, Meredith wants nothing more than to say no. But she’s ultimately roped into pet-sitting an orphaned Yorkshire terrier named Prozac.
Blessed with spiritual wisdom and a high IQ, Prozac is an active pet therapy dog. To heal broken-hearted Meredith, he rallies his fan club at Evergreen Gardens, an independent living facility, where he visits each week.
Prozac and the community of resilient older folks challenged by losses of their own propel Meredith, often against her will, back into the land of the living. Meredith learns that most people carry some sort of burden, but it’s still possible to find meaning, purpose, and joy—and even love—along the way.
THE THING IS—a perfect read for fans of General Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, and Dog and Pet Lovers!
Praise for the book
“A story brimming with humor and heart, and an ending that’s as unexpected as it is satisfying.” —
Claire Ashby, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the novel,
When You Make it Home“Great story! Unexpected, delightful, uniquely creative…Kathleen Gerard not only understands the canine brain, but she gets people too.
The Thing Is reminds us of how intricate and interwoven relationships are—and Prozac teaches us about grace and unconditional love.” —
Melody Carlson, author of the novels,
The Christmas Joy Ride,
Finding Alice, and
The Christmas Dog“Everyone could use a little Prozac. Kathleen Gerard’s heartwarming and uplifting book will have you heading to a pound as soon as you put the book down (if you can ever manage to do it). An absolute page turner,
The Thing is provides all the proof you’ll ever need that dogs are truly nothing less than Four Legged Angels.” —
Mary Curran Hackett, author of the novels,
Proof of Heaven and
Proof of Angels“You don’t have to be a dog person to fall in love with
The Thing Is. Funny and heartwarming, it’s a great read about love, loss, and what it means to be human.” —
Alessandra Harris, author of the novel,
Blaming the WindReview
Dog spirit guides can take many forms and in this book it is a 5 lbs Yorkie named Prozac. He took this assignment not knowing what the TBD could possibly entail just so he could play Sandy in a revival of Annie sometime in the future. He definitely was not expecting Meredith – a woman that lost her fiance 3 years ago and was still grieving.
This story goes back in forth primarily from Prozac and Meredith’s point of view. I think there might be a few chapters from Helen or someone else’s POV, but not many. It took me a couple of chapters to understand the flow, but once I did, I enjoyed the back and forth and especially when it was Prozac’s chapter because I found him to be a bit arrogant, but considering his history that he lays out for you in an early chapter, it isn’t too surprising. Despite the arrogance, I think he learns something from Meredith’s pain and current situation, that perhaps there is more to the human emotions than he has experienced throughout time.
Meredith is another story, she is a mess! Yes her fiance was killed in a brutal manner, but life goes on and one can still grieve and miss a loved one and continue with life. However, it takes her petsitting Prozac and meeting a few other people to turn that life around.
There are some witty characters, along with some that learn lessons along the way. I think this book touches many emotions and creates many learning moments for many of the characters.
We give this 4 paws up!
About the Author
Kathleen Gerard writes across genres. Her work has been awarded many literary prizes and has been published in magazines, journals, widely anthologized and broadcast on
National Public Radio (NPR). Kathleen writes for
Shelf Awareness. Kathleen’s woman-in-jeopardy novel,
IN TRANSIT, won “Best Romantic Fiction” at the New York Book Festival.
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