The Thing Is

by Kathleen Gerard

Overview

Meredith Mancuso is depressed. Ever since the death of her fiancé, she has shrunk from the world. Even with her successful writing career, she's not motivated to work. When her sister, Monica, begs for a favor, Meredith wants nothing more than to say no. But she's ultimately roped into pet-sitting an orphaned Yorkshire terrier named Prozac. Blessed with spiritual wisdom and a high IQ, Prozac is an active pet therapy dog. To heal broken-hearted Meredith, he rallies his fan club at Evergreen Gardens, an independent living facility, where he visits each week. Prozac and the community of resilient older folks challenged by losses of their own propel Meredith, often against her will, back into the land of the living. Meredith learns that most people carry some sort of burden, but it's still possible to find meaning, purpose, and joy-and sometimes, even love-along the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781736790007
Publisher:	Kathleen Gerard
Publication date:	03/22/2021
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Kathleen Gerard writes across genres. Her work has been awarded and nominated for several literary prizes including The Saturday Evening Post "Great American Fiction" prize and The Mark Twain House Humor Prize. Kathleen's short prose and poetry have been widely published, anthologized and broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR). Kathleen's woman-in-jeopardy novel IN TRANSIT won The New York Book Festival - "Best Romantic Fiction." To learn more about Kathleen and her work, visit: kathleengerard.blogspot.com

Editorial Reviews

03/07/2016
Gerard (In Transit) takes on the idea of dogs as wise spiritual guides, but her work suffers from sloppy canine afterlife design and a mismatch between its mildly sarcastic wit and its saccharine message. The biggest issue is the lack of inherent dogginess in the first-person narrative of Yorkshire terrier Prozac, a certified therapy dog (on Earth) and spirit guide dog ("highly evolved and placed in people's lives on purpose"). He shares the book's stage with Meridith Mancuso, a midlist novelist who's been depressed and self-isolating ever since the death of her fiancé. When Meridith unwillingly becomes Prozac's keeper while his owner recovers from surgery, she is pulled back into the outside world, especially through his weekly therapy visits with the doting but quirky and manipulative elder residents of Evergreen Gardens, who treat him like a treasured limited resource. Romance between Meredith and the son of one of the Evergreen residents is a sweet if obvious plot choice, and Gerard traps herself with twists that require an overly sentimental ending. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"A story brimming with humor and heart, and an ending that's as unexpected as it is satisfying." -- Claire Ashby, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the novel, When You Make it Home

"Great story! Unexpected, delightful, uniquely creative...Kathleen Gerard not only understands the canine brain, but she gets people too. The Thing Is reminds us of how intricate and interwoven relationships are--and Prozac teaches us about grace and unconditional love." -- Melody Carlson, author of the novels, The Christmas Joy Ride, Finding Alice, and The Christmas Dog

"Everyone could use a little Prozac. Kathleen Gerard's heartwarming and uplifting book will have you heading to a pound as soon as you put the book down (if you can ever manage to do it). An absolute pageturner, The Thing is provides all the proof you'll ever need that dogsare truly nothing less than Four Legged Angels." -- Mary Curran Hackett, author of the novels, Proof of Heaven and Proof of Angels

"Kathleen Gerard captures the powers of caring, connection, and resilience in her wonderful novel, The Thing Is. Prozac, the book's funny and wise canine hero, helps humans of all ages overcome their losses and grief, find happiness and adventure, and renew their joy in love and life." -- Susan Sipprelle, award-winning documentary filmmaker, Tree of Life Productions (Over 50 and Out of Work; Set for Life; Soldier On: Life After Deployment)

"A truly humorous twist on the issue of human frailty interacting with animal charm...offers a new take on grief recovery, which is both lighthearted and insightful!" -- Trudie Barreras, Amazon"Vine Voice" Top Reviewer

"Kathleen Gerard is a sterling storyteller who held my heart in her hands from start to finish. I recommend The Thing Is to everyone who is a pet lover (or not) and to anyone who is grieving or facing the unknown. The Thing Is brings hope, happiness, and new beginnings. This is my BEST read this year...kudos to Ms.Gerard. You nailed it!" -- Fresh Fiction (Pat Pascale, Book Reviewer)

From the Publisher