by Emma Knight
First published 2013
Ted considers himself a dog with exceptional empathy and skills in psychotherapy. He lives with the Knight family on Green Road, where he observes the puzzling behavior of his humans with scientific curiosity. His human mother Jane battles manic depression, and Ted feels deeply attached to her wellbeing. He competes with Peter Knight for household leadership and wrestles with the cat Yorky for human attention. Since paws cannot grip pens, Ted enlists his human sister Emma Knight as his scribe, though their collaboration sparks creative disagreements when Emma's own thoughts intrude on his dictation. Ted possesses enhanced senses plus a sixth sense that lets him communicate with Emma through their psychic connection. He documents family life in journal entries that mirror his scattered canine thought patterns. Ted believes humans possess too much intelligence for their own good, which explains why they create such chaos and trauma for themselves. His rational dog perspective reveals the gap between logical thinking and human irrationality.
Genres: fiction, animals, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Green Road
68 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Content warnings: mental-illness