The Dogs of the Bookstore at the Edge of the World

The new book by the owner of tiny bookstores, Ruth Shaw, a person of incredible sincerity and kindness, combines stories about the lives of dogs and their owners, and these little chronicles are structured in such a way that we have no doubts about who is given the main role. And even though the action unfolds "at the edge of the world" — in New Zealand, the dogs remain themselves there — our loyal guardians, good friends, hard-working helpers, patient companions, playmates. Their role in our lives is immensely significant, it is joyful to be with them and hard to part, and the feelings we can experience through our interactions with them are a gift, incomparable to how little they ask for in return. Alongside us, dogs participate in a variety of events, from everyday to fateful ones, and they are not even aware of how interesting literary sketches of their adventures can turn out to be. The result is a wonderful book that is now presented for readers' judgment — and through it runs a common thread of the idea that in caring for our smaller brethren, we ourselves become better.