Book review - Whippoorwill

Title: Whippoorwill
Author: Joseph Monninger
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Stay With Me by Paul Griffin
                     Made of Stars by Kelly York
Rating: 

Nice enough

Summary: Clair has always tried to ignore her neighbors: their comings and goings, their loud arguments, and all of the junk in their yard. Then they chain up a dog in their yard, only paying him attention to occasionally mistreat him. Clair can't stand to see the dog so desperate for attention that he even loves this abuse. Her efforts to help Wally capture the attention Danny, the boy next door, and forges a connection between them that neither expected.

My opinion: This book makes a comparison between dogs and people, this idea that what we put into our pets and our children is largely what we get out of them. So, there are some interesting parallels between Danny and Wally. Meanwhile Monninger also paints a clear contrast between Danny's and Clair's fathers, who's situations are similar but their responses are far different. While the ideas explored in the novel are fascinating, the plot is relatively simple and the characters don't have a great deal of depth. Interesting but predictable.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.