Genre: Fiction
Published: 2012
Pages: 331
The lovable dog from A Dog's Purpose is back, this time as Buddy and then as Molly, and Max. This time, though, the puppy is consistently going to serve as a loyal companion to the little girl he plays with by the pond on the Farm. He knows that she needs a dog, even if her mother objects. Years later, he will be by her side as her loyal companion as she navigates some very difficult teenage and young adult years, and even through the rest of her life. Perhaps it is through her that he'll truly find his purpose.
*Pronoun wise, I will be referring to the main dog character as a he, because they most strongly identify with the character of Bailey from the first book.*
What I really liked about the original novel was how it looked at everything from a dog's perspective. This book does the same, but the biggest problem I had with it was that it seemed to focus a lot more on the people. Sure, the dog's point of view is still there as he tries to figure out new experiences that are obvious to readers. (He believes that kissing noises are those of someone eating chicken, for example).
Still, there was a LOT of focus on the people in the story. The dog spends much of his time observing their lives. Clarity, or CJ, is our main character. She's clearly dealing with a lot of challenges in her life. Then there's her mother Gloria, the one readers will love to hate--a diva who's revealed to be narcissistic and the source of CJ's problems. Her friend Trent ends up becoming her love interest. It's clear why she could need a doggy companion. I wondered, though, if her life was a little too challenging. She goes to jail. She's in an abusive relationship. She's a runaway. Her mother is controlling and abusive. She tries to kill herself, leading to serious illness. She's stolen from. She's broke and practically homeless. And the calamities just keep piling on. Seems a little much! It also left less room to explore the mindset of the dog narrator. And would it have killed the author to have some happy moments? Part of the love for A Dog's Purpose came from the heartwarming tone and the setting of familiar places and people. A Dog's Journey doesn't really have a lot of that, or a lot of action on the dog's end. It's a lot more observation.
There are doggy moments too, much like the ones in the first book. Many Cameron fans will notice patterns throughout his books in the dogs' adventures and thoughts. Getting separated from Clarity leads to more of his personal story. He ends up at a foster home, and meeting a cat named Sneakers. He has his moments and once again, the thought processes of a dog are researched very nicely.
This book is definitely a continuation of A Dog's Purpose, so I would suggest reading that one first. Is this second one worth reading? Yes, because we see where the dog finally ends up. It's sweet and sappy, if you like that kind of thing. I promise you that you will have all the feels. The humans manage to find their endings as well. Still, I felt like the book didn't focus enough on the dogs. Read it if you'd like, if not just for the ending. I just didn't feel like it was as strong as some of his other novels.
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