Phil Haddock

The Book of Dog Phil Haddock

A TALE TOLD BY A DUMMY FULL OF SOUND & FURYWest Coast, USA, early 1950s. The Crump brothers, Sam and Harry, are growing up together, with a father close to the bottle and a mother close to religion. As the '50s turn into the '60s, a war breaks out in a faraway country, splitting the nation - and the Crump family. The brothers form a band touring California, where the counterculture is in full bloom. They are joined by Eddie, a wooden dummy carved by Sam but is brought to life by Harry, who lends him his voice. Or is it the other way round?It is Eddie who relates the story, and fortunately for us, he has a dry, flippant sense of humor. Conflict is building, and following a bitter argument with his brother, Sam goes off to Vietnam, never to return. All Harry receives is a tin can, supposedly with his brother's ashes. Or does it contain something else? And who is Billy-Dee, a veteran who suddenly appears, claiming he was a friend of Sam?In his quest for what happened and his stubborn search for his dog, who has run off amidst a warlike bursting of firecrackers, Harry gradually goes off the deep end. His marriage in pieces and his job lost, he must face his ghosts in all the madness around him, and find his own voice."It's like the doc said," Eddie tells us, "somewhere, way down deep inside, Harry's left a light on." "The Book of Dog" is an intense and at the same time wildly funny, imaginative and unrelenting journey toward this light.