June
2001
A
Conversation With Soul
Book Review by Catherine Clyne
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The Dog Who Spoke with Gods by
Diane Jessup (New York: St. Martin’s Press, June 2001). $22.95
hardcover. 400 pages.
This is one of those rare books that sucks you in and can’t be
put down until you burn right through to the very surprising end. In
short, it makes for riveting reading—perfect for those hot summer
days.
The Dog Who Spoke with Gods is the story of Damien, a pit bulldog,
and his experience of human cruelty and his redeeming relationship
with
a young woman. It’s also a story about a girl’s awakening
to a dog’s spirit and noble character and—ultimately—the
literally life and death decisions that she makes as a result.
This novel is even more of a rarity because it realistically explores
the many layers to how we understand animals: as independent and soulful
creatures, thinking and intelligent beings, companions, mirrors of
ourselves,
threatening beasts, wildlife to be conquered or left to themselves,
objects to be used for whatever purpose we like. All of this is reflected
in the intensely emotional, complex and reciprocal dynamics that characterize
Damien’s relationships with the various humans he encounters.
The unlikely heroine is Elizabeth Fletcher, a young premed student
who grew up sharing a household with two men—her father and grandfather—both
of whom are accomplished heart surgeons; her father being a faculty
member of a major university where he conducts research and development.
Having been around laboratories all her life and witnessing the vivisecting
projects of her parents, Elizabeth never gave much thought to animals.
In their workplace, dogs were nearly as ubiquitous as office furniture,
little more than subjects to practice surgical procedures on. When we
first meet Elizabeth, she is firmly on the path to becoming the family’s
third generation surgeon. But one day, with little thought or reason,
Elizabeth volunteers as an animal handler at one of the university’s
animal research facilities. There she meets Damien by chance and he
touches something in her, and she touches him as well.
After a brief puppyhood alone in the temperate wilderness, Damien ends
up in a research laboratory. With sensitively and uncanny realism,
author
Diane Jessup lets us into Damien’s trials and tribulations, his
thoughts and feelings: the terror at what is done to him, his confusion
over where he is and why he’s treated in such a way, and—above
it all—his sense of self and unbreakable spirit. The psychological
experiments that he endures at the hands of Dr. Joseph Seville are
enough
to crush the spirit; but what keeps him going throughout is the certainty
that Elizabeth loves him and the unwavering hope that she will rescue
him.
Elizabeth experiences her own trials and tribulations as she grapples
with the dissonance between the sterile and (apparently) objective scientific
understanding of animals, and the thinking, feeling, loving and unique
individuals that animals actually are. Her relationship with Damien
tells her one thing, while the mindset of her parents and the academic
authorities whom she approaches for guidance requires another. The difference
between the two is irreconcilable and, ultimately, one must give way
to the other.
This is a heart-wrenching and heart-warming story. It’s about the
love that animals—human and non—share with one another, and
the special bond that dogs and humans experience. It’s also about
the value that we infuse animals with. Damien suddenly becomes extremely
valuable to the scientific community when Elizabeth, in a sincere effort
to secure him a life without pain, reveals to university authorities
that he can communicate verbally—in English. So valuable is this
discovery that psychologist Joseph Seville will do anything to get control
of Damien and train him to “talk” so that he can become famous
by showing Damien’s abilities to his peers. When Elizabeth learns
that Damien is actually being tortured to do something that he did
in
play and love with her, she does everything in her power to stop it.
Her actions set in motion a series of plot twists that are truly riveting.
Jessup is the author of two nonfiction books about pit bulls and shares
her life with a diverse pit bull family, many of whom are rescuees.
She has a deep insight into their character, a source that she draws
upon to shape the unforgettable Damien. What comes through is that pit
bulls are the most misunderstood dogs and that, when treated with respect
and love, they are extremely loving, fiercely loyal and very eager to
please and protect their human charges. One of the most endearing features
of Damien is his sense of humor, which he conveys to and shares with
Elizabeth, whether during play or while working on his unique communicative
skills.
This novel was a little repetitious at times: Jessup went overboard
in conveying the message that pit bulls have a unique history of assisting
people (like cowboys) with strenuous and “masculine” work
(like herding—sometimes attacking—cattle). And the simplistic
black and white portrayal of the scientists as evil—while understandable—was
slightly disappointing. Perhaps the most perplexing element of human
cruelty is that most perpetrators are just that—human. They love,
hope, grieve, laugh, and get mad along with the rest of us. Few are
as depraved, sadistic and evil as we need them to be. It is easier
to
understand a vivisector if he is bad to the very core. But the real
fender-bender is that most are relatively normal people who seem to
have some sort of microchip inserted in their brains that block out
the horror that they inflict on others. The story could have been even
more powerful if such depth of character was explored.
The Dog Who Spoke with Gods is an impressive first novel and
will most probably become a favorite among both animal advocates and
the wider public. Although there are some painfully graphic moments,
it is also a great book for young adults. Elizabeth is a character
with
whom most people can easily relate, and the overriding message—that
turning one’s back to the suffering of animals is not okay—is
an important one for everyone, young and old.
I, for one, have not been immune to the assumption that pit bulldogs
are unpredictably aggressive and mean-spirited. After reading this
story,
I wanted the honor of sharing my life with a pit bull, but my elderly
cat companions and shoe-box size apartment won’t allow for this
right now. In the meantime, Damien has given me a deeper appreciation
of dogs, a lesson for which I am grateful.
