Miles Franklin Award nominated author Briohny Doyle earlier this year released, Why We Are Here, a touching new novel about love, loss, dogs and golf courses. Frankly any book that starts with discussions of dogs’ scrotums and golf course mishaps has succeeded in piquing my interest.
The novel follows the story of a girl – BB – and her dog Baby. After losing both her father and partner in quick succession BB moves to Silver City (located in New South Wales, Australia) into a beachside condemned apartment. As BB’s circumstances change, she hopes Silver City and Balboa Bay can now ensure her happiness for the future. She quickly and accidentally becomes a dog trainer. In amongst slowly building a good work life balance, she enjoys flings with Vera, a hot friend, and Franz, her housemate. BB realises that life goes on.
But, then the COVID-19 pandemic hits and BB’s life takes a turn. Hot flings are a thing of a past, and instead she takes daily strolls and laments on pandemic life. She struggles with reaching out to her friends and work training dogs dries up. But, BB manages to find happiness in the simplest of places. The book really brought back memories of life during the pandemic and the struggles and similarities we all share.
After reading the blurb on the back of the book I was expecting there to be a greater focus on dog training across the novel. Instead, it more of a rumination on grief during times of struggle and how we, as humans, cope by using the resources around us. Though sometimes you just need the company of a dog. I found the many times that BB and her dog “talk” to one another through the novel to be adorable.
The novel is littered with quotes from authors, filmmakers, philosophers, canine trainers and more. Thanks to BB and this novel I think I’ve learned so much about a whole range of things, from Pavlov and the Spanish Flu to Almodóvar and Cesar Millan – the famous dog trainer.
Why We Are Here doesn’t follow the standard grammar conventions – there are, for example, no quotation marks used during dialogue and discussions. Initially I found this to be quite draining, but after a few chapters I did start to warm up to the language and enjoy the novel. I felt the story was initially quite sombre and ‘overcast’. But, those storm clouds often parted to reveal sunny days and a promising future for BB and her life.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Briohny Doyle’s Why We Are Here is available now from Penguin Australia. Grab yourself a copy from Booktopia HERE.
