The Dog Stars

This book by Peter Heller was chosen for "A Novel Idea"--the community read for Deschutes public library this year. I overhead such impassioned and dichotomous opinions about the book on the last hiking trip I took with Parks and Rec, that I felt I had to read it for myself. I really loved the book. I have read a fair number of post-apocalyptic books and this I thought was a really good one. Not short on the bad things that happen, especially the breakdown in law and order and consequent emergence of people's violence either as a means to survive or just because they can get away with it. And yes, the dog dies, but he is doing what he loves and is with the person he loves and has lived a good long life when he does die, so I was OK with that. The dog's (Jasper) death turns out to be the catalytic event that launches the protagonist, Hig, to go beyond his "point of no return" in the little Cessna that he has managed to maintain in the nearly 10 years since a virulent flu wiped out the majority of the earth's population. Hig's co-habitor at their little enclave, Bangley, is ex-military and brutal in his "shoot first" and don't bother with any questions attitude, but as Hig comes to realize, he has been a significant factor in keeping them both alive. It's just that Hig comes to wonder if there is any point in staying alive in such a world. Hig has maintained more of his humanity and willingness to give people a chance, which is not always a good thing. But in the end, he brings back a prize from his adventure, that renews his ability to hope for something more. Stick with this one to get past the ungrammatical early entries of Hig's journal. Review here from NPR