Захар Прилепин: Dogs and other people

Reading this book is like walking into an old house filled with memories. Its atmosphere of a place lost in time and space carries its peculiar routines, tastes, sounds and smells. In a tiny village on the banks of the Kerzhenets river surrounded by primeval forests and a wildlife sanctuary the people live and love; however, it’s the animals that are the main characters here: a kind and loveable St. Bernard dog Shmel, an impudent Russian Wolfhound Kai, white as snow and fast as an arrow, a rake and a trickster; a Neapolitan Mastiff Blackie, dark as the darkest of the nights; an insolent ginger Main Coon cat Murr; a ruthless tiger-colored Central Asian Shepherd Teager; a crass, shaggy and stubborn Tibetan Mastiff Kerzhak; two nonchalant Basset Hounds; and a cocky Congo grey parrot Hughie. The gripping stories of the people and the animals will puzzle and move you, make you smile and laugh, fill you with anxiety — what will happen next? — and bring tears to your eyes and a little bit of sadness to your heart. In the end, however, you will be chuckling with pleasure and sighing with relief… The book will leave no one indifferent… More than 100 000 copies sold in Russia. Winner of the 2024 National Big Book Literary Award.