The Boy and the Dog

September 5, 2022
The human-canine bond is the subject of the affecting English-language debut from Seishū, capably translated by Watts. The story opens in the aftermath of 2011’s “triple disaster,” as the narrator describes the earthquake and tsunami that brought about a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. When Kazumasa, a down-on-his-luck factory worker, comes across a strangely self-possessed dog named Tamon (according to the dog’s tag) in a convenience store parking lot, he decides to adopt him. Suddenly Kazumasa’s life changes: his elderly mother perks up from her dementia, and a classmate offers him a job as a getaway driver for a band of foreign thieves. After the caper ends in tragedy, Tamon finds himself with a new owner, and when that chapter ends, he is adopted by childless couple Sae and Taiki, whose marriage is troubled. Each owner remarks on Tamon’s remarkable presence and notes that the dog seems to be on a journey: while at rest he always “faced west”—but “What was in the west?” Sae wonders. When Tamon finally reaches his destination, the reunion waiting for him is indeed moving. Seishū imbues Tamon with a nobility that never feels sentimental or overdrawn. With this tender display, he proves himself a gifted storyteller.

February 1, 2023

In the aftermath of Japan's 2011 tsunami, earthquake, and Fukushima nuclear disaster, a dog appears at a convenience store. The dog wears a collar with the name Tamon, in reference to the guardian deity of the north. Tamon, a German Shepherd mix, is adopted by a number of people--a gambler, a thief, a negligent husband, a sex worker, an old man, and finally, a little boy--during his five-year journey southward. Tamon helps each person who rescues him along the way, easing pain, finding hope, acknowledging failings, meeting death, and healing the soul. At Tamon's last stop, a man finds the dog and takes him home. His son, a six-year-old who has not spoken since the tsunami, suddenly finds his voice and recovers from his trauma and fear. Beautifully read by narrator Akie Kotabe, Hase's tender story of a dog on a mission to be in the right place at the right time is poignant and affecting. VERDICT Hase's English-language debut, depicting the enduring bond between humans and dogs, will appeal to listeners looking for stories of redemption, love, and courage. Highly recommended.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

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