The Dog That Talked to God - Inspirational Christian Novel About Faith & Miracles - Perfect for Book Clubs, Bible Study Groups & Spiritual Seekers

The author of this book successfully accomplishes several objectives by cleverly using the device of a talking dog, a miniature Schnauzer named Rufus. Since I am a sucker for dog books (both real and fictional stories), I decided to buy the Kindle version of THE DOG THAT TALKED TO GOD based on the positive reviews despite my skepticism. I was skeptical for two reasons. First that a talking dog could be successfully integrated to a story of this nature (as opposed to a children's story or animal fiction) in away that allowed the reader to suspend belief as opposed to simply seeming artificial. Second, that given the subject matter I was worried that the story might just be a sermon in disguise about grief and maintaining faith in God after experiencing a tragedy. (I am a Christian but avoid a lot of literature published by religious publishing houses because they seem to be messages about faith rather than engaging stories.)Other reviewers have already commented upon the story, so my summary will be very brief. The reader meets Mary Fassler (the story is effectively told in the first person) as she is considering buying a dog to keep her company as she grieves for her family. (The details of the tragedy are gradually revealed as the story progresses.) She decides to purchase a miniature Schnauzer, and names him Rufus. As is often the case following such tragedies, Mary has become isolated from all but a few friends and has stopped praying and attending church. We gradually learn the details of Mary's life, and experience her halting attempts to date and find a new direction for her life. And, it is not a spoiler since it is revealed by the title that suddenly Rufus talks to her and she soon is developing a strong bond with him and even requesting his advice on occasion since he talks to God as she cannot. A traumatic incident and Rufus' dislike of the cold Chicago winters finally caused Mary to decide to move without a final destination in mind, and their journey is described in perhaps overly great detail but in way that successfully prepares the reader for the gradual development of their new lives.The author really captured the essence of the bond that can form between owner and dog (and of course the talking dog allowed Mary to sometimes get answers to what all dog owners wonder - what is my dog thinking now? ). I am not even a particular fan of small dogs, and as Mary observes Schnauzers are one of the breeds that cannot really smile, so I did not expect to become attached to Rufus but he won my heart (because of what was in his heart). I will always now smile when I see a miniature Schnauzer, or see the phrase "three word dessert" or spot Key Lime Pie on a menu, but you will have to read the book to understand that reference.This book is far from perfect (I still would have preferred a Golden Retriever or Lab but they would not have been right for Mary), and there were several errors that got by the editors and proofreaders but they did not annoy me as much as another reviewer. The ending was uplifting, as a reader would undoubtedly expect, but there was one unexpected development at the conclusion with regard to Rufus that caught me completely by surprise and while completely understandable did momentarily sadden me and make me feel that I had lost a friend (don't worry, he doesn't die).So, despite the flaws I decided to rate the book five stars in that it tells a delightful story in a captivating and unique manner.Two final notes - first, the book does contain an appendix with a list of questions suitable for use in a discussion group; second, if you are a dog lover or interested in how dogs can change people's lives, I think you would like Dean Koontz' true story of how he and his wife had their lives changed by a dog - its title is A BIG LITTLE LIFE: A MEMOIR OF A JOYFUL DOG NAMED TRIXIE. Read the book to find out if Trixie managed to talk as well; it is an incredibly well written and indeed joyful story of the bond between dogs and their owners, with many smile and even laugh out loud moments, but it does end in the heartbreak of her eventual death.Tucker Andersen May 5, 2012