ROSE IN A STORM
by Jon Katz
Rose (Dog Days, 2007, etc.) pens a simple novel of super-canine loyalty and heroism.
Relationships and respect—between animals, as well as between animals and humans—feature in this short, heart-tugging tale of a dog with a planet-size work ethic. The story traces border collie/shepherd mix Rose’s response to a five-day mega-storm that brings down buildings, leaves farmer Sam with broken bones and endangers the lives of all the beasts. Katz shows empathy for his four-legged heroine but avoids full-scale Disney-esque sentimentality. Rose is both typical of her breed and exceptional. Faithful, responsible and a workaholic, she can feed cows, figure out when to cut her losses and even tell Sam what’s best. Choosing to stay on the farm when Sam is air-lifted to the hospital, Rose not only works herself to a standstill trying to keep the cows, sheep, goats, hens and donkey alive but also goes up against a pack of coyotes who sense their opportunity. Outnumbered and wounded, Rose is mysteriously defended by a possibly spectral wolf and also by an ownerless semi-wild dog, Flash, with a secret identity.
A tidy crossover tale likely to warm many predisposed hearts.