This is possible going to be the biggest gush ever. “Cynicalisbest” is just a big lump of irony, because I tend to just gush about everything and anything. But this post is going to be different. It’s not just going to be any gush, this is going to be the largest gush known to mankind…
I recently read Marley and me again. The book, by John Grogan, not the movie (Though how I could read a movie, I’m not sure. Subtitles maybe?). Quite a few people don’t know that the movie was based on a book, so just to clear things up, there’s a book. Marley and Me is a book. And a darn good book at that! (Yes, I started a sentence with “and”. My English teacher would turn in her grave (If she were dead. She’s not by the way), but do you know what? I don’t give a ham!)
Words can’t describe how feel good and feel sad this book is. It really is incredible how John Grogan manages to make the reader connect with Marley, and indeed his entire family. I don’t think I’ve ever connected with any other literary dog as much as I have Marley. Well, there was Manchee from The Knife Of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness, But I try not to think about him too much. Some wounds never heal…
But back to Marley. It’s really incredible how he brings together his family’s life, in a way that only dog lovers/owners can really understand. If you’ve never had a pet, it’s impossible to understand how much an animal can mean to you. I’m not a huge animal person. I’m a devout carnivore, and as for animal rights? Well, I can take ‘em or leave ‘em. But my dog Suzie is different. She’s the boss in our house, she calls the shots. She may be the laziest dog ever (She runs away from her lead), or the most nervous dog known to man (On meeting new people, she usually pees, then runs away), and she may shed excessively (Our entire house is covered in a fine layer of dog hair), but she’s quite literally the heart and soul of the family.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is, John Grogan manages to perfectly convey what a dog can mean to a family, and how much impact it can have on your life.I actually found the book more moving than the film, which isn’t a rare occurrence, but the movie (Starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson) was very good, so that just shows the quality of the book. As well as that, the movie has the sad music, the special effects etc etc etc…
But the book is more personal and it’s actually a lot sadder, as you get to know the character of Marley better, and you feel as though you were there to see the whole thing, which in a way, you were. You feel as if it’s your own dog, and that’s something the movie can’t hope to convey.
I’m really sorry about this long, anecdotal, off-topic post, but I hope I’ve managed to explain how much I love this book, and how much I love Marley. Thanks to his owner, John Grogan, Marley is now forever immortalised in print, as one of the worst dogs, but also one of the best dogs, known to mankind. So for that, I three-finger-salute them, Grogan and Marley.
So until next time just remember:
A dog is for life, not just for Christmas, and jazz hands make everything better…
