Fifteen Dogs - I'll never look at dogs the same way again

I have been remiss in posting lately (very busy) but I had to write about Fifteen Dogs.  This is André Alexis's 2015 book that won the Giller Prize, and it certainly deserved it.  Just as Animal Farm used barnyard animals to provoke readers into thinking about the nature of being human, so does this book.  In contrast to Orwell's work, however, his characters are not simply allegories for humans. They remain dogs - dogs who have suddenly gained human intelligence, but still dogs.

Orwell wanted to show us human behaviour; Alexis wants us to think about how our human intelligence would irrevocably change another species.  In so doing, we must think about whether the abilities that come with our intelligence make us happy or not.  As Hermes and Apollo (whose bet prompted the sudden changes in the fifteen canines) witness, it's not clear cut in any way.  Self-awareness, rational thought, and deeper emotional connections come with a price.  It's not all art and poetry.  They give us a tremendous capacity for love and art, but they also give us a capacity to suffer in new ways.

I want to recommend the book to some of my students who believe so passionately that to suffer and feel is what makes us human.  I'm not sure what they would think, but it would be a great book to teach and discuss.