I don’t normally read post-apocalyptic novels, but this one is special. A haunting but beautiful ‘ode’ to what remains after the world ends. Peter Heller manages to find poetry in a post-pandemic landscape. At its heart, this is a story about the profound, life-saving bond between a man and his dog, Jasper—perhaps the true ‘star’ of the novel. It’s a poignant tribute to loyalty, survival, and the small beacons of hope that guide us. As a pilot, Hig uses the stars to navigate. The title refers to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky and part of the constellation Canis Major, and the bond with Jasper.
THE ROAD - but with hope. Hig, bereaved and traumatised after global disaster, has three things to live for - his dog Jasper, his aggressive but helpful neighbour, and his Cessna aeroplane. He's just about surviving, so long as he only takes his beloved plane for short journeys, and saves his remaining fuel. But, just once, he picks up a message from another pilot, and eventually the temptation to find out who else is still alive becomes irresistible. So he takes his plane over the horizon, knowing that he won't have enough fuel to get back. What follows is scarier…
Nonfiction has to be really good to hold my interest and Brooks accomplishes that with incredibly sharp insights. Have you ever felt like you’re speaking a different language from your relatives or neighbors? He dives into the psychology of defensiveness, explaining how people move from disagreement to moral condemnation. Example: defensive people think “my critics are not just wrong, they're evil" and "angry people are in search of others they can be angry at." It sheds light on how attempts to be rational often backfire and result in the other person feeling “belittled” or mad… a sentiment that perfectly captures the current political polarization and explains the angry dynamics in modern life and family circles. This is a profound look in human psychology and what it actually means to see and be seen by others.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A practical, heartfelt guide to the art of truly knowing another person in order to foster deeper connections at home, at work, and throughout our lives—from the author of The Road to Character and The Second Mountain
As David Brooks observes, “There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization, or society: the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen—to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard, and understood.”
And yet we humans don’t do this well. All around us…
Satoru and his amusing cat traverse the scenic landscapes on a road trip in Japan. Narrated from the observant perspective of Nana, a stray-turned-companion. Nana's witty insights on humans and other animals will make you smile, if not laugh aloud. The journey reveals Satoru’s past and explores themes of loyalty, friendship, and the elegiac beauty of life’s transitions. I loved this bittersweet book.
STUNNING HARDBACK GIFTING EDITION, INCLUDES A RIBBON
RECOMMENDED BY THOUSANDS OF INTERNATIONAL READERS - the feelgood story of a journey around Japan with a cat by your side. Translated by Philip Gabriel, a translator of Murakami.
INCLUDES 6 BEAUTIFUL LINE-DRAWINGS
'Bewitching... as self-possessed and comforting as - well, a cat' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH _____________
It's not the journey that counts, but who's at your side.
Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van.…
Alicia, a young American expat, marries Colombian Jorge Carvallo and they settle on his family’s remote coffee finca (farm) in the Andes. Educated as a biologist, she revels in the surrounding cloud-forest. However, following an idyllic year, calamities strike one after another and their marriage begins to unravel. Jorge leaves as a volcanic ash eruption nearly destroys the coffee crop and the threat of guerrillas and drug-lords looms; but headstrong Alicia refuses to budge and stays to salvage the coffee. https://cindamackinnon.wordpress.com/
