“The Dog Who Danced” is a bitter-sweet novel written by Susan Wilson, and makes one of the newer additions to the MHS library. This 314 page book is the story of a conflicted woman, a mourning couple and a dancing dog. Throughout the book we see a heterochromia Sheltie named Mack trying to find his owner Justine as he finds himself with Ed and Alice, a young couple five years early in retirement. Justine was on her way to Boston to see her sick father when her ride drove off with her dog. She would do anything to get her dancing partner back, and Mack would do anything to be back with her, but right now he’s stuck with a kind couple trying to get over the loss of their daughter, Stacy. Throughout the story we see each character’s perspective, including Mack’s.

Although it uses some old and tired stereotypes, (such as evil stepmother, perfect stepchild) the book reveals the agonizing journey of three different people, all dealing with the loss of a child. Mack has come to mend the couple’s pain, but in the process accidentally left Justine, who is now left to care for her dying father with her unbearable stepmother by herself, wondering how she will ever get back to her dog.

Meanwhile, unknown to Justine, Mack is just fine, living with Ed and Alice, and he wonders when she’ll come back. Ed and Alice are a relatively average couple, and in the beginning they try to find his home, but as time goes on they fall in love with the beautiful Sheltie, so much so they stop trying to find his home, name him and even lie to the vet to keep him, as Justine worries herself sick about where her beautiful dancing partner went.

But although the book has a great storyline and mysteries within, it feels like it just drags on and on and ON. It feels like the story takes forever to get somewhere. The author mentions that Ed and Alice lost their teenage daughter Stacy and Justine lost her son Tony, but it feels like she takes forever to say why. She hints at it time and time again, but barely reveals anything; just dwells on it. She also seems to need to mention every detail about what goes on in their daily lives. We just want to see Justine reunite with Mack! We don’t need to know what the veterinary clinic looks like! It seems like the book does not need 314 pages to get to the point. The author also has a recurring theme throughout the book; she uses common objects or places as metaphors to illustrate what’s going on in a character’s life. This is a great literary device and all, but using it over and over and over again makes it boring. Also, seeing everyone’s perspective is great, but it gets tiring after a bit.

Still, if you’re patient and have some time to kill, you might give this book a try. It has a compelling storyline, if you’re willing to wait.