Good Dogs Don't Make It to the South Pole: A Novel

by Hans-Olav Thyvold, Marie Ostby (Translator), Chandler Crawford Agency Inc. (Translator)

Overview

Told through the eyes of a very grumpy yet lovable mutt, a funny and touching tale of aging, death, friendship, and life that proves sometimes a dog's story is the most human of all.

Tassen has always been a one-man dog. When his human companion, Major Thorkildsen, dies, Tassen  and Mrs. Thorkildsen are left alone. Tassen mourns Major by eating too many treats, and Mrs. T by drinking too much. But the two unexpectedly find common ground in researching Roald Amundsen’s expedition to the South Pole led by a pack of intrepid dogs.

But the quiet days Tassen  and Mrs. T spend together at the library researching the explorer’s arctic adventure are disrupted by the arrival of her son and daughter in-law. Eager to move in to the Major’s spacious house, they plan to send Mrs. T to a nursing home. As he contemplates his own fate, Tassen shudders to think what might happen to him! Yet Tassen and Mrs. T aren’t about to give up. Inspired by Roald Amundsen and his dogs, this unlikely pair are ready to take on anything life throws at them.

Good Dogs Don’t Make It to the South Pole is a darkly comedic and whimsical portrayal of aging and death told through a dog’s friendship with an elderly woman. 

Translated from the Norwegian by Marie Otsby

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062981660
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/14/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Hans-Olav Thyvold was born in 1959 and has published several nonfiction books on topics ranging from Roald Amundsen to Bruce Springsteen. He has also worked as a journalist, radio and tv host. Good Dogs Don't Make it to the South Pole is his first work of fiction. He lives in Oslo, Norway.

Editorial Reviews

"Tassen is a believable, matter-of-fact narrator, bringing us into his world with Mrs. Thorkildsen, her dragon water, her love of books, and Roald Amundsen’s all-important dogs. Thyvold’s moving, inspirational tale is a real treat." — Library Journal (starred review)

"What is the big question in life? 'How did we get here?' 'Is there an afterlife?' No.  It is 'What is my dog thinking?' Thank you Hans-Olav. Now I know. "

— Stevie Van Zandt

From the Publisher

"What is the big question in life? 'How did we get here?' 'Is there an afterlife?' No.  It is 'What is my dog thinking?' Thank you Hans-Olav. Now I know. "

Stevie Van Zandt

2020-06-03
A dog and a widow navigate their new lives as a duo in this fiction debut.

Tassen is a one-man dog, and unfortunately, his man, The Major, has just taken his last breath. Now Tassen and widowed Mrs. Thorkildsen find themselves alone and faced with having to reconfigure their lives without him. This leads to journeys to the library and an interest in the 1911 race to the South Pole between Norway’s Roald Amundsen and Britain’s Capt. Robert F. Scott. Tassen is fascinated by Amundsen’s sled dogs, and Mrs. Thorkildsen tells him stories of how each dog met its fate, from being stuffed to eaten. Tassen is just getting used to his new normal when Mrs. Thorkildsen’s son and his family show up, seemingly concerned about how she’s getting on. Mrs. Thorkildsen assures them she’s fine, but is she? Tassen is a unique narrator, but the tone is all over the place, matter of fact and blunt and whimsical. It’s hard to get a feel for Tassen and, by extension, any other character. This is Thyvold’s first book to be published in the U.S. as well as his first work of fiction. His previous nonfiction book on Amundsen explains the intense amount of detail on the South Pole journey, which is unfortunately to the detriment of the main plot. The family thinks Mrs. Thorkildsen is losing her mind because she talks to and understands Tassen, but at one point a stranger does, too, and then it’s never mentioned again. The book is unsure of its own internal mythos, which throws everything else off.

An odd tone, uneven narrator, and lopsided plot hold this puppy back.

Kirkus Reviews