I'm not sure what I think about this book yet. I might add more stars after thinking about it for a bit because I think I'm giving it fewer stars because I started with very high expectations.

Originally I was influenced by the artwork on the cover. It's the silhouette of a black dog (looking like a Newfoundland) holding a black hat in his mouth against a yellow/orange background. The dog looked so cute that I wanted to know more about the book. The synopsis begins "July 1964. London. Esther Hammerhans, a young librarian in the House of Commons, goes to answer the door to her new lodger....." The visitor is Black Pat (the name Winston Churchill used for the depression that visited him throughout his life.) This all sounded interesting to me.

The story bounces back and forth between Winston Churchill on the eve of his retirement and the young librarian who works in the House of Commons. They are both currently in the middle of visits by "the black dog."

As I read, I kept hoping Esther would overcome her depression. I really liked the character but I wish she'd been developed even more...and I wanted to know more about her husband and their life together. But the book focused more on the hold the black dog had on her.

The idea I had the most difficulty with was a big, black dog representing depression. I associate animals in general and dogs in particular with good things in people's lives so I had to continuously remind myself that Black Pat was an evil character in the story and that was very hard to do.

( )

This was a bit of an odd book, but in a good way. Whenever someone asked what the book was about, I had to think a bit trying to come up with something a bit more coherent than "the personification of Winston Churchill's depression." I never did, actually. But as I read the book in under two days, I probably didn't have enough time to truly formulate my thoughts. It took me a long while to fully comprehend that this wasn't a book about a dog, or the lodger from hell, or even Winston Churchill. This is a book about depression and how it comes onto people and how they either overcome it or live with it -- or not. I wish the cover blurb was a bit less circumspect about that aspect as it would have greatly improved my reading of the book. I may have to give this another go in a few months and see if it improves with a second reading; I suspect it might.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher. ( )

Tricky book to evaluate impartially and I'm probably being a little hard on it. ( )

Esther Hammerhans lives a mild life although lonely since her husband, Michael, died. When she opens her house to a lodger, she gets someone she did not expect. Her lodger is a large black dog, known as Black Pat, who not only speaks to her, but also runs roughshod through her life. Through conversations with Black Pat, she learns that this dog is on assignment and his client is Winston Churchill.

Winston Churchill is about to retire from office in a few days. With this, a dreaded companion throughout his life has re-emerged. Black Pat is back to wreak havoc on his psyche. The dog wanders in and out to cause sorrow and angst.

When Esther and Winston meet, they find that they are the only ones who can see this awful animal. Winston implores Esther to fight the dog because this is a war. She realizes what a drag Black Pat has been on her mind and takes his advice to fight back.

Black Pat is the embodiment of depression. This depression has haunted Winston and Michael their whole lives. It even drove Michael to take his own life. Now it is stalking Esther. Armed with good friends and resilience, Esther refuses to be taken down.

I did not like this book at all. I found it disturbing. Before choosing this book, I read a few brief reviews and comments. The phrases that made me want to read this were "exuberant fun-house ride," "brilliantly original and thought-provoking," "marvelously original, tender and funny." It is not any of those things! It's fiction that includes real people with depression and the story describes how depression affects people, their families, and many other lives. The black dog of depression is Mr. Chartwell (who also goes by the name Black Pat). He is huge (the size of a mattress), smelly, slobbers and sheds all over everything. This repulsive and oppressive presence haunts Winston Churchill and others in his family (i.e. a daughter who committed suicide two years before this book takes place). The other (fictional) character who is haunted by Black Pat, Esther, had a husband who committed suicide two years prior, and was also haunted by this same macabre dog. The only reason I finished this mercifully short book was to find out what happened to Esther - does she succumb to the overwhelming and debilitating depression Black Pat instills? Or does she break free? ( )