Wry, perceptive, and heartbreaking, The Labrador Pact is a cunning and original take on domestic life in all its joy and disillusionment—and on Shakespeare. Matt Haig has created an improbably poignant narrator in Prince, offering a truly unique perspective on the foibles of family relationships.
The story of a family in crisis and the loyal dog that holds them together, from the witty, imaginative author of The Dead Fathers Club.
The Hunters—Adam, Kate, and their children Hal and Charlotte—are a typical family, with typical concerns: work, money, love, the trials of adolescence. What sets them apart is Prince, their black labrador.
Prince is an earnest and determined young dog. He strives to live up to the tenets of the Labrador Pact: Duty Over All. Other dogs, led by the springer spaniels, have revolted, but Prince takes his responsibilities seriously. As things in the Hunter family begin to go awry—marital breakdown, rowdy teenage parties, attempted suicide—he uses every canine resource to keep the clan together.
In the end, Prince must choose: the family or the Pact? His decision may cost him everything.
Wry, perceptive, and heartbreaking, The Labrador Pact is a cunning and original take on domestic life, with an improbably poignant narrator.
Not just another dog story, Matt Haig's dark satire features Labrador Prince and the code of ethics, "the pact," that guides his role with his human family. Simon Jones is superb portraying an array of dog characters with voices that convey their characters as well as their species--for example, wise, brutish, or gregarious. The family's cat, Lapsang, gets a wonderfully languid voice that Jones nails with perfect ennui. Listeners will enjoy Prince's studies of "wag control" and "pleasure sniffing," delivered with impeccable timing and tone. The story takes a dark turn, as the hollowness of suburban life eats away at Prince's family. The dialogue and portraits of the teenagers are well done. Jones stays perfectly in tune as the story takes some unusual turns and the frolic ends. R.F.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
Daily Mail...
Clearly destined to become a cult hit. I only wish my dog had thought of it first.
Ink Magazine...
Highly engrossing, hilarious yet heart-breaking.
The Times of London...
A comic tour de force.
About the Author
MATT HAIG is the author of the novel The Dead Fathers Club. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, the London Sunday Times, The Independent, and the Sydney Morning Herald. He lives in Leeds, England.
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