{"product_id":"good-boy","title":"Good Boy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSome bonds can't be broken\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSusan's Review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 115%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAustralian writer Michelle Wright’s novel \u003ci\u003eGood Boy\u003c\/i\u003e is a well-written and heartwarming story about the bond between humans and animals. But while its title suggests the comforts of pet ownership, the novel’s prologue immediately draws us into a starkly different world. The main character Cookie (surname of Cooke) is a prisoner nearing the end of a twenty-year sentence for murder. The son of abandoning parents who he suspects might not have even bothered giving him a first name, Cookie has managed to survive prolonged incarceration by keeping his head down, playing by the rules. But when he reluctantly agrees to take part in a project for prisoners to make rescue dogs fit for adoption, everything changes. What begins as a practical necessity for Cookie evolves into a profound connection bond the unruly canine Nigel. In a story about the meaning of names and naming, Cookie’s decision to change Nigel into Good Boy symbolises his belief in the healing properties of affirmation and love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 115%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWright is particularly skilled at depicting the realities of prison life: the deadening routine, the dodgy deals, the sense of threat, the mechanisms of survival. She also cleverly develops the art of suspension, such that the final revelations about Cookie’s secret past offer us the balm of a well-earned redemption. Cookie is a memorable character: seemingly tough but emotionally vulnerable, hard-nosed but brimming with compassion. And even readers indifferent to stories about animals will warm to the presence of Good Boy, both as a singularly individual creature and as the embodiment of hope for the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 115%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eIn reminding us of the value of love and reparation, the novel is a welcome antidote to the bleakness and cynicism of much contemporary fiction and the world at large. Highly recommended for dog lovers and lovers of a well-told, affirming story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 115%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eGood Boy\u003c\/i\u003e is now available in the Lane Bookshop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 115%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 115%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher blurb\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 115%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eIt's September 1997 and Cookie, an inmate in a minimum-security prison, is serving the last four months of his sentence when he signs up for a last-chance rehabilitation program for abandoned dogs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 115%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eHe's assigned Nigel—whom he renames Good Boy—an anxious soul with a talent for gnawing his way through walls. Cookie has his work cut out preparing him for the upcoming behavioural assessment that will decide his fate: pass, and Good Boy will be up for adoption and the chance of finding a loving home for the first time in his life; fail, and he will be put down. When Cookie realises that Good Boy is almost certain to flunk the test, he must decide how far he'll go in his bid to save him.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Michelle Wright","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":62773268611231,"sku":"9781761473159","price":34.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/files\/9781761473159.jpg?v=1776236569","url":"https:\/\/lanebook.com.au\/products\/good-boy","provider":"The Lane Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}