Peter Gethers' popular
memoirs about his beloved cat, Norton, put his name on the literary map. In Ask
Bob: A Novel, Gethers tackles fiction, telling the story of Dr. Robert
Heller, a prominent New York City veterinarian who also authors a newspaper
column called, "Ask Dr. Bob," which addresses the concerns and woes
of pet owners. Dr. Bob is no-nonsense in the delivery and approach of his
column--and with his patients and their owners--but he's not as direct in his
personal life. He comes from a dysfunctional family that has made his role as
son, brother, uncle and lover a muddled, thorny challenge. When Bob meets and
falls in love with a woman whose family has more issues than his, he takes
solace in their romance and the security of his job, concluding that he
understands animals better than people. But when tragedy strikes, Bob is forced
to step beyond his comfort zone and tend to the people he loves and cares for
the most.
Gethers
has written a smart, lively novel infused with romance and heartfelt, real-life
complications of family and domesticity. The book centers upon the women in Dr.
Bob's life who influence him the most during an eighteen-year period from when
Bob is 24 years old until he turns 42. The interspersed addition of several of
Dr. Bob's newspaper columns and his charming, insightful notes about certain
clients and important people in his life add levity and humor to some heavier
aspects and themes.
Henry Holt and
Co., $24.00, Hardcover, 9780805093315, 320 pp
Note: This
review is a reprint and is being posted (in a slightly different form) with the
permission of Shelf
Awareness. To read this review on Shelf
Awareness: Reader's Edition (8/9/13),
click HERE