by Nick Trout
First published 2010
Dr. Nick Trout encounters two dogs whose stories will change how he views his profession. Helen, an older cocker spaniel, arrives at a loving home after Ben and Eileen rescue her from a restaurant parking lot on a rainy night. The couple falls for the neglected dog despite her poor condition. Just as Helen settles into her new life, doctors discover a tumor and deliver crushing news. Ben and Eileen hope for one miracle: that Helen will survive long enough to swim in the ocean during their summer trip to Prince Edward Island. Meanwhile, fourteen-month-old miniature pinscher Cleo suffers repeated leg fractures that devastate her owner Sandi. When Cleo breaks another bone while visiting Sandi's daughter Sonja in Bermuda, Sonja secretly flies the dog to Boston for specialist treatment. Dr. Trout takes on what should be routine surgery, but the outcome connects two families and their pets in unexpected ways. Through these cases, Trout discovers that his medical training and equipment matter less than his willingness to embrace hope and grace.
Genres: family, animals, medical, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Bermuda, Boston, Prince Edward Island
Period: Contemporary
252 pages · Hardcover · Broadway Books
Content warnings: terminal-illness