Men and Dogs: A Novel [Hardcover]

Katie Crouch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2010

When Hannah Legare was 11, her father went on a fishing trip in the Charleston harbor and never came back. And while most of the town and her family accepted Buzz's disappearance, Hannah remained steadfastly convinced of his imminent return.

Twenty years later Hannah's new life in San Francisco is unraveling. Her marriage is on the rocks, her business is bankrupt. After a disastrous attempt to win back her husband, she ends up back at her mother's home to "rest up", where she is once again sucked into the mystery of her missing father. Suspecting that those closest are keeping secrets--including Palmer, her emotionally closed, well-mannered brother and Warren, the beautiful boyfriend she left behind--Hannah sets out on an uproarious, dangerous quest that will test the whole family's concepts of loyalty and faith.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crouch's accomplished sophomore novel kicks off with a flashback: 20-odd years ago, Buzz Legare vanished while on a fishing trip. The fallout of his disappearance and presumed death appears in his 30-something children: Hannah drinks too much, her business is failing, and her husband has kicked her out after her repeated adultery. Hannah's gay brother, Palmer, refuses to let anyone get too close—he's ready to end his yearlong relationship when his partner brings up the idea of adopting a baby. After Hannah injures herself trying to break into her husband's apartment, she heads home to Charleston, S.C., to get her life back on track, but instead finds herself pursuing the past. Damaged and vulnerable, she zigzags through her past—an old boyfriend, questions about her parents' fidelity, and finally facing down where her unwillingness to accept love has gotten her. There's nothing unique about the premise—woman in crisis goes home and discovers herself by exhuming the past—but Crouch (Girls in Trucks) handles it deftly; her dialogue is snappy, the situations darkly funny, Hannah and Palmer are unlikable but sympathetic, and there's just enough mystery to keep the pages turning. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Following her embraced debut, Girls in Trucks (2008), Crouch offers another southern tale in which Hannah Legare finds herself back in her hometown, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, as her marriage, business, and life in San Francisco crumble. She soon begins to puzzle over an old mystery: her father Buzz’s mysterious disappearance more than 20 years earlier. Hannah retraces old ground, hoping to glean insights from the recollections of her mother, stepfather, brother, and family friends. Yet most residents of the town prefer to remember Buzz fondly, and view his disappearance during a routine fishing expedition as a tragic accident. Hannah, however, is still haunted by her father’s absence and the thought of the family dog drifting alone in the boat. Her quest to discover her father’s true fate provides clues to Hannah’s current problems, including her trouble being faithful to her husband, even as she realizes she may find information she never wanted to know. At least she will finally begin to piece together her own story. --Katherine Boyle

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (April 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316002135
• ISBN-13: 978-0316002134
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #889,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a 37-year old mom who writes about the South, ghosts, dogs, love, Hoodoo, and family...etc. I grew up in Charleston, SC, and all of my books are set in the South. I used to write about my hometown, but I stopped because my mother kept getting upset.

I write every single day, first by hand and and then typing. I don't write for specific audiences, though my current project is a trilogy for teens. I've been writing all my life, and received my MFA from Columbia University and have won fellowships to the MacDowell Colony and the Sewanee Writers Conference. My books have been translated into Spanish, German, and Turkish. I read all of the time...yesterday it was The Great Gatsby. Again.

I love to hear from fans on Facebook and twitter...books coming up include The White Glove War (the Magnolia League sequel) and The Ghost Trees, an old-fashioned literary fiction novel about love gone awry.

My family and I live all over the place - we're currently in Italy, though I make sure we spend a good two months in South Carolina a year. I need my shrimp.

For more about me, check out www.katiecrouch.com. You can also find out about great giveaways at the Magnolia League Facebook page.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars a rainy day kind of read March 31, 2010

By Alla S. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

In "Men and Dogs," Katie Crouch tells the story of Hannah Legare, a young woman in her mid-thirties who is forced to confront her life after her husband Jon leaves her because of her cheating and her business collapses after she stops paying attention to its operations. After Hannah tries to climb into her husband's locked apartment in an attempt to get him back--she slips on the fire escape and injures herself. As a result, Jon contacts Hannah's mother Daisy and insists upon Hannah temporarily staying with her family and recovering from her cheating and drinking problems.

And so, unwittingly, Hannah leaves behind her life in San Francisco to live in Charleston, South Carolina with her mother and wealthy stepfather Will DeWitt. Complicating matters is Hannah's past, which she now has to face. Her father Buzz Legare, disappeared in a boating accident when Hannah was eleven. The boat was found whole but empty. Buzz's body was never found. Hannah's family believes he died, while Hannah believes he ran away. Now, back to where it all started, Hannah becomes obsessed with solving the mystery of her father's disappearance--and finding out whether Daisy's romance with her stepfather played a role.

Interwoven with Hannah's story is the story of her gay brother Palmer, who, despite the stable nature of his life, seems to lack the very thing that would give his life meaning--happiness. His boyfriend Tom seems amicable enough, until he suggests they adopt a child. The conflict eats away at their relationship until Palmer seeks to find solace in his profession as a vet, working with Jenny White, the wife of Hannah's ex-boyfriend Warren Meyers. Of course he's unaware that Hannah seeks to re-kindle her relationship with Warren, much to the displeasure of Jenny....

Overall, this was an interesting read. What added some meat to the plot was Hannah's quest to solve her father's disappearance. This mystery kept the book unpredictable. Hannah is sometimes hard to understand, but her actions make for an interesting character. She seems to have so much thrown at her, that it's interesting to see if she ever overcomes any of the obstacles. A rainy-day kind of read. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Very Satisfying August 14, 2010

By lydiadeetz

Format:Hardcover

I'm surprised by all the great reviews for this book. It WAS a quick read, and I did like Hannah's character, but ultimately, it was just an unsatisfying book for me. There are plot summaries in the other reviews, so I won't rehash them here. Basically, there's just something missing. I kept reading because I wanted to know what had happened to Hannah's father, and I wanted to know how Hannah and Palmer's stories ended. But, the way it's all wrapped up at the end doesn't do the rest of the book justice.

I also felt that some of the characters weren't sufficiently developed. Hannah's mom, and Hannah's relationship with her were only superficially examined. And, I also felt that Jon's character wasn't adequately explored. I understand that this book is about Hannah, and her 'search', but if these other characters are a part of the book, they should be more than just caricatures.

24 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Triumph! April 13, 2010

By Tony Donahoe

Format:Hardcover

As a big man of Crouch's first novel, Girls in Trucks, I was eagerly awaiting Men and Dogs. Well, it's here and I am glad to report, it is every bit as good if not better than Trucks. Reading Crouch's books is like spending time with a great friend. Her style is wholly original, but if pressed I would say it is a little Dorothy Parker meets Lorrie Moore. I hate the whole pigeonholing of literature into genres like chick lit and such, because this is a book men can enjoy just as well as women. Complex characters, an intriguing plot, clever writing with a real warmth for the setting...Men and Dogs has it all. It is the perfect book whether you're sitting on a beach or riding the subway. A great, great read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars "There Won't Always Be a Why" May 4, 2010

By Susan K. Schoonover TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

MEN AND DOGS is a fast and well written read marred by the dislikeable characteristics of the two major characters as well as the improbable situations in which they find themselves. The book is basically the story of a thirty-five year old woman named Hannah and her slightly older brother Palmer. The siblings' physician father disappeared on a fishing trip twenty some years before and presumably drowned thus crippling his children's emotional development despite the presence of a decent mother, a generous mega rich stepfather and a caring community.

Hannah has never been able to accept that her father is actually dead (a body was never found) and somehow seems to blame his disappearance for her faithlessness to her husband whom she presumably loves and other instances of impulsive behavior. Her brother Palmer is a successful gay veterinarian who doesn't have any outward guilt about his homosexuality but has always secretly believed it drove his father to disappear. One of my major problems with the book was I could not believe Palmer who the author depicts as cool and fastidious would have chosen a career in veterinary medicine which inherently has many messy and uncontrollable moments. The author explains Palmer is a control freak and that is why he chose to be an animal doc?? I couldn't help but wonder if the author made him a dog doctor just to underline the theme of dogs and faithfulness that inspire the book's title. Anyway when the novel begins Hannah is estranged from her husband and their formerly successful business ("sex toys for rich people") has hit the skids. She moves in to her mom and stepfather's historic mansion for a month to recover from a physical injury caused by trying to break in to her ex's apartment and to put her life back together.... Brother Palmer has just kicked his latest boyfriend out because the poor fellow mentioned he might be interested in becoming a parent through adoption or surrogacy. And both siblings are about to encounter old lovers and discover some long held beliefs about their parents are false.

The book has a real sense of time as the present day action takes place in the fall of 2008 when Obama was nearing his election with a few flashbacks with genuine details to the spring of 1984 when Hannah and Palmer's dad disappeared. The setting is Charleston, South Carolina and the author's description of the city and some of its quirky customs and people are among the best parts of the book. This is a quick very readable novel that doesn't quite live up to its lofty themes or overcome the handicap that both leading characters often appear to be spoiled brats despite Hannah's dawning realization that "there won't always be a why." Read more ›