Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch

Do not let the title of this book mislead you . It is not about men and their dogs, but it is a story of a 35 year old woman who has made a shambles of her life. When she was eleven, Hannah's father's boat was found adrift far out to sea with no one aboard, except the family dog. After weeks of searching for Dr. Buzz Legare, the Coast Guard and police decided that the man had probably fallen overboard and drowned. Everyone but young Hannah agreed. From that day until the present, over twenty years later, Hannah has insisted that her father did not drown and that he will call or show up at any time. She has never faced reality and has fantasized about seeing him, with her behavior as she grows into adulthood getting her into constant trouble. Although she fell in love, married and built a successful business her destructive behavior has left both in tatters. After enduring her repeated adulterous, drunken escapades her husband has thrown her out and she's been forced to return to her Charleston, South Carolina home to live with her mother and wealthy stepfather. She has yet to accept her father's drowning, and after another drunken spell, she comes to the conclusion that she must find out the truth. Without anyone's knowledge, she takes her father's boat and sails out to sea to the general location where her father's boat was found adrift. What she finds in this terrifying ordeal may or may not bring her the peace she's been looking for.

Katie Crouch's sensitive and insightful examination of how childhood events can influence an entire lifetime is both disturbing and gratifying. Hannah and her brother Palmer are trying to deal with their father's disappearance and death. Although Hannah's impulsive and volatile behavior is the most noticeable, Palmer's is equally self-destructive. Big brother Palmer, who is openly gay and in a long-term loving relationship, decides to terminate it when his partner suggests that they should have a child and become a family. However, along with the heartache, readers are treated to humorous situations, quirky characters and comical dialogue. Daisy, Hannah's genteel Southern belle mother takes it upon herself to try to save Hannah's sex toy business by arranging a home party with her Charleston society matron friends. The result is a series of humorous exchanges between Daisy and Hannah, with Hannah seeing her mother in a new light. The bottom line, though, is that as Hannah's life spirals out of control, the vortex it creates pulls in her family and friends, upsetting their worlds as well. This audio book invites introspection and will entice as well as entertain.

Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch
Read by Gabra Zackman
Hachette Audio, unabridged: 8 hours on 7 CDs