The Dog of the North

* A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice *

"A vibrant novel that combines slapstickcomedy with poignancy." -The New Yorker

Penny Rush has problems. Her marriage is over; she's quit her job. Hermother and stepfather went missing in the Australian outback five yearsago; her mentally unbalanced father provokes her; her grandmotherDr. Pincer keeps experiments in the refrigerator and something worsein the woodshed. But Penny is a virtuoso at what's possible when allelse fails.

Elizabeth McKenzie, the National Book Award-nominated authorof The Portable Veblen, follows Penny on her quest for a fresh start. Therewill be a road trip in the Dog of the North, an old van with ginghamcurtains, a piñata, and stiff brakes. There will be injury and peril. Therewill be a dog named Kweecoats and two brothers who may share atoupee. There will be questions: Why is a detective investigating hergrandmother. What is "the Scintillator"? And can Penny recognize agood thing when it finally comes her way?

This slyly humorous, thoroughly winsome novel finds the purpose in life's curveballs, insisting that even when we are painfully warped by those we love most, we can be brought closer to our truest selves.